An 11-year-old boy from the US state of Florida was recently taken by his grandfather to go magnet fishing. It was only his first time, but the catch was immediately special: two so-called ‘sniper rifles’, rifles used by snipers.
Allen Cadwalader, an 11-year-old autistic boy, threw the magnet on a rope into a river near Miami with his grandfather, Duane Smith, on Sunday. Smith had watched some videos on YouTube about how magnet fishing works, and thought it was a fun hobby that he could share with his grandson.
Bite in five minutes
Within five minutes, debutant Allen had it. Full of expectation he fished his loot on dry land, but to the great surprise of grandson and grandfather, a gun was found hanging on the magnet. Not much later, the two fished in another ‘sniper rifle’. The weapons were wrapped in foil.
Smith, a former soldier who used to assemble the rifles for the military, knew immediately what he was dealing with. The things weighed about ten pounds each, and according to Smith, they would be worth about $20,000, he told CNN .
Once home, Smith and grandson Allen cleaned the guns. It turned out that the serial numbers of the weapons had been scratched off, which may indicate that they were used in a crime. Smith therefore handed the things over to the Miami Police Department, who are investigating where the weapons came from.
Grandpa and his grandson will continue magnet fishing, Smith explained. “It’s a bit of an addiction to see what comes out of the water. Like gambling in the casino, but cheaper. Something always sticks. A bottle cap or, you know, a gun worth thousands of dollars.”