A Florida man was arrested after shocking cellphone footage appeared to show him grabbing a 17-year-old boy by the throat and attempting to throw him to the ground during a heated confrontation that began after two teenagers went fishing in a neighborhood pond.
Gregory McPhedrain, 57, of Sanibel Island, was taken into custody Thursday, November 5, following the incident in Lee County, near Fort Myers. He faces two counts of battery and one count of child abuse after investigators reviewed video of the altercation.
The confrontation unfolded November 2, when two friends, identified by Gulf Coast News as 17-year-old Isaiah and 15-year-old Brycin, were fishing near John Morris Road. According to a sheriff’s office report, McPhedrain had contacted authorities to report the boys for trespassing.
After being warned about trespassing, the teenagers were heading home on an electric bicycle when they encountered McPhedrain driving a Subaru Crosstrek.
The boys told investigators that McPhedrain approached a stop sign at a high speed and appeared unlikely to stop, prompting them to confront him because they believed he had nearly struck them.
What began as a verbal argument quickly escalated.
According to the arrest report, McPhedrain drove away, made a U-turn and approached the teenagers again, allegedly throwing water at them as he passed. He then turned around a second time, parked his vehicle on the sidewalk and got out.
As the argument continued, one of the teenagers attempted to photograph McPhedrain’s license plate. That’s when the confrontation allegedly turned physical.
Cellphone footage obtained by Gulf Coast News shows a man approaching Isaiah from behind, grabbing him around the neck and appearing to pull him toward the ground. Isaiah manages to break free and push the man away, but the confrontation continues.
Brycin, who recorded the encounter, described watching in disbelief as his friend was grabbed.
“It looked like he was trying to shove his fingers down my friend’s throat,” the teenager told the station.
Isaiah said he feared for his safety when McPhedrain exited the vehicle and began approaching them.
“I just felt like our lives were at danger,” he recalled.
The disturbing video later circulated online, drawing attention to the confrontation and raising questions about why an arrest had not been made immediately.
According to the Fort Myers News-Press, investigators initially spoke with the teenagers’ parents, who signed paperwork declining to pursue criminal complaints. One parent subsequently reversed that decision and agreed to move forward with prosecution, leading to McPhedrain’s arrest three days after the alleged attack.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that investigators reviewed cellphone footage that supported the teenagers’ account of the encounter.
McPhedrain was booked into the Lee County Jail on November 5. As of Friday, he remained in custody, with bond not yet set. Court records cited by the News-Press listed a December 7 court appearance.
For Isaiah, the incident left him shaken and questioning how a disagreement over fishing could escalate into an alleged assault by an adult.
“It’s not OK to put your hands on a child in any situation, no matter what,” he told Gulf Coast News. “If you are above the age of 18, you should know better than to put your hands on a child.”
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office said its investigation remains ongoing. McPhedrain has not been convicted of the charges against him.
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