An 11-year-old boy was out magnet fishing with his grandfather at a South Miami-Dade canal on Sunday when the boy reeled in two Barrett .50 caliber rifles.
The grandfather, Duane Smith discovered magnet fishing on YouTube and thought it would be a fun activity to do with his grandson, Allen Cadwalader. However, the two did not expect to find two rifles during their first time, the Miami Herald reported. (RELATED: Fishermen Reel In Live Grenade)
Somebody tossed two military-grade weapons, each costing thousands of dollars, into a canal. Clearly, they were used in a crime.
There aren’t a lot of .50 cal weapons in the world. Presumably, there’s a police report?
On the other hand: #Florida.https://t.co/4lHOE5JasD
— Jonah Blank (@JonahBlank) February 2, 2022
The two went to C-102 which is one of several freshwater canals that run along the roads and the tree farms of South Miami-Dade. Soon after they casted the first line, they pulled in one of the two rifles, according to the Miami Herald.
“It’s total beginners’ luck,” Smith said, according to CBS 4 Miami. “I said this would be a perfect opportunity to get my grandson out from electronics and outside.”
Then they casted the line again only to reel in the second rifle, exactly like the first, according to the Miami Herald.
The weapons were reportedly wrapped in plastic as the two reeled them in. Smith unwrapped them and scrapped most of the corrosion away, which took him 30 minutes to do, according to the outlet.
Smith noticed that the serial numbers on the weapons were filed off which seemed concerning to him, so he turned the weapons over to the Miami-Dade County Police Department, the outlet reported.
“My only hope is that if there’s a murder involved in this that the families can get closure from it and also that if it is a stolen weapon, stolen weapons, that they can be returned to the owners,” said Smith, according to WSVN 7News.
Detective Christopher Thomas said that the weapons looked like they have been in the canal for a long time. He added that it will take time before they end up in their forensics lab, but they will be processed once they do, according to the Miami Herald.