Man Cited in Confrontation with Teens at Atwater Park

A Shorewood man has been cited for disorderly conduct in connection with an incident at Atwater Beach Park in which he chased a group of teens around with a stick and tried to take photos of them with his cell phone, police said.

According to the police report:

The incident happened at about 10:30 a.m. Saturday when the man, wearing a green Army jacket and black cap, became angry when he saw eight to 10 teenagers sitting and standing on an overturned boat on the beach.

The man told police he was worried the teens would damage the boat, so he began yelling at them. All but one teen got off the boat, but the man continue to follow them up the path to the park, and he said he approached them to take their photos on his cell phone.

The teens told police that the man was carrying a stick and yelling obscenities at him, and that they felt threatened. The teens said the man said things like the youths were from the "wrong side of the tracks" and should "get back on the other side of the river."

When taken into custody, the man told police he was holding the stick because he was writing in the sand with it, and that he didn't intend to threaten the teens. He also told the arresting officer that he has recording the whole incident on his cell phone and would show it in court. He declined to show police the video on the phone.
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