Jacksonville boat with bullet holes washes ashore on Tybee Island beach

TYBEE ISLAND, Ga. — Late on Saturday night a boat with no passengers washed ashore on Tybee Island beach near 6th Street, the boat did have a Florida tag and has bullet holes on the bottom.

Officials with the Tybee Police Department say the boat was spotted off shore yesterday afternoon and it was assumed that it would come ashore during the night.

Tybee Police Department has now turned over the investigation of this mystery boat to the United States Coast Guard.

Tybee Coast Guard officials believe the boat may have been abandoned and traveled from Jacksonville, Florida to Tybee, Georgia.

The United States Coast Guard is familiar with this boat in one way or another because of the USCG spray paint marking that can be seen on the bottom of the boat.

Jacksonville Coast Guard Petty Officer Anthony Soto said tracking down the origin of the boat will be complicated even though the boat did have USCG marked on one side.

When it comes to the bullet holes Petty Officer Soto said Coast Guard officials may have been trying to sink the boat because sometimes boats are shot at or set on fire when they are out at sea to prevent habitation or navigation hazards.

Boats that are closer to land are genuinely towed instead of shot or set on fire.

The bullets were not connected to any foul play or suspicious activity as far as we know.

WJAX