Mark Shapley {BSO}
Police say a man writing a book at Butterfly World pulled a knife on a visitor, threatened him, and used an anti-gay slur.
According to a Coconut Creek Police Department arrest report, Mark Shapley, 57, of Coral Gables, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon after allegedly pulling a knife on a man at Butterfly World during the morning hours of July 9.
According to officers, a 911 call came in at about 10:00 a.m. from the alleged victim, who reported to police that he had been threatened near a pavilion at the front of the park.
Upon arrival, Shapley told an officer that he had been sitting on a park bench writing a book when the other man walked past him. He denied speaking with the man or being involved in an altercation, according to the affidavit.
The alleged victim provided a different sequence of events.
He told police that as he walked to the pavilion, Shapley allegedly removed a small knife with a black handle from a bag, waved it at him, and threatened to cut him while yelling, “Faggot, I’ll cut you!”
The man said the threats and confrontation happened out of nowhere, as he did not know Shapley and had no prior interactions with him.
Shapley was arrested and transported to the Broward County Main Jail.
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