In late July, a video posted across various platforms showed a disturbing confrontation between an 18-year-old man and a sea lion at La Jolla Cove in Southern California. The area, next to Ellen Browning Scripps Park, is known for its rocky shores where marine mammals regularly haul themselves out of the water to rest. Tyler Muehl, 18, apparently decided that one of those resting sea lions needed a fight.
Rather than keeping his distance, Muehl began acting aggressively toward the animal. According to federal prosecutors, he took a fighting stance and squared up to the sea lion as if he was preparing to box it. Court documents also reveal that Muehl compared himself to professional UFC featherweight fighter Max Holloway during the confrontation.
