Detective Arrested After Drawing Gun Over Microwaved Fish at Station

The office microwave has sparked countless workplace feuds—but a South Carolina detective took the kitchen conflict to a place nobody expected. Detective Michael DeBiase, 46, with the Myrtle Beach Police Department, now faces felony charges after he allegedly unholstered his service weapon and pointed it at a fellow officer during a briefing room confrontation on June 2. The trigger? Someone had reheated fish in the station microwave.

What might’ve been a funny story about cubicle annoyances became something far more serious. According to the arrest warrant, DeBiase’s response to the lingering fish smell crossed from eye-rolling irritation straight into criminal territory. He drew his department-issued firearm and aimed it at another cop—a move that landed him in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center on Tuesday before his release a few hours later.

Under South Carolina law, pointing a firearm at another person carries serious weight: it’s a felony that can mean up to five years in prison. It’s unclear whether the weapon was loaded, but that detail hardly matters when you’re brandishing a gun in a police station full of officers. The Myrtle Beach Police Department placed DeBiase on administrative leave while investigating, and his next court appearance is set for August 14.

This story is a stark reminder that even small annoyances can escalate when someone has access to a loaded weapon and poor impulse control. Fish in the microwave is annoying—genuinely, profoundly annoying—but it’s also a problem solved with a conversation, a memo, or even just stepping outside for fresh air. Instead, what unfolded was a choice that’s now going to cost DeBiase far more than any lingering seafood smell ever could.