Florida Police Enforce Social Distancing On Beach, Arrest Pennsylvania Man Wanted For Murder

While enforcing social-distancing measures on the beach Sunday morning, police in Florida arrested a man who was wanted for a murder in Pennsylvania.

The Jacksonville Beach Police Department said Mario Matthew Gatti, 31, was loitering along the city’s beach and violating distancing orders. He was identified after police ran his name and found he was wanted in Pennsylvania for his alleged involvement in a January shooting.

Police shared an image of Gatti being taken into custody on the beach clad in U.S. flag swim trunks.

Gatti was booked at Duval County Jail and is expected to be sent back to Pennsylvania in the coming days. He is facing charges of criminal homicide, burglary and a firearms violation.

Police in the Pittsburgh area had identified Gatti as a suspect in the death of 33-year-old Michael Coover Jr., according to local reports. Coover was pronounced dead on the scene on Jan. 16 after he was shot multiple times while preparing dinner at his home. Both Gatti and Coover had criminal records before the shooting.

Police had launched a manhunt for Gatti in January and considered armed and dangerous.

Gatti has previously been arrested for various charges including possession of a firearm, possession with intent to manufacture or deliver, and drug crimes. His last arrest was in October 2019 for marijuana possession.

Florida beaches have reopened over the last week as Gov. Ron DeSantis began reopening the state by rolling back certain coronavirus measures. However, local police have continued patrolling the beaches to enforce the CDC’s social distancing guidelines to limit the chance of possible exposure.