Port Orange Man Cracks Open Beer While Being Arrested

Though it’s not what he was charged with in the arrest, 32-year-old Port Orange resident Brett McPeek made quite the impression when he appeared to crack open a can of beer while being questioned and then arrested by the Port Orange Police Department. Officers had their guns drawn at McPeek while the incident happened this month, and he was later taken in and booked on two criminal charges. Police were reportedly investigating reports of gunfire in a Port Orange neighborhood, which they believed came from McPeek after he got into an altercation with a neighbor. At one point as police surrounded McPeek and ordered his hands in the air with guns pointed at him, he told police he was about to open a beer and drink it. “This beer is cold sir,” he pleaded to the officer. “I’m gonna drink it.” The officer on his bodycam video asks McPeek if he was armed, to which he said no. The officer remarked that he did have two cans of beer in his hands. McPeek wasn’t explicitly told not to drink the beer, and it’s not clear what type of beer he was drinking (other than cold). Officers found two handguns at his property. McPeek was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail after being charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, three counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, and two counts of using a firearm while under the influence of alcohol. He was denied bond and has been in custody since April 20th. Prior charges issued to McPeek in Volusia County include cannabis possession, driving without a valid license, resisting an officer, disorderly intoxication, assault, and driving under the influence.