South Carolina Cop Loses His Badge After Pulling a Gun on Colleague Over Microwaved Fish

A South Carolina police detective has lost his law enforcement career after a bizarre workplace dispute over the smell of reheated fish escalated into a gun-related confrontation. Michael DeBiase, 46, has been sentenced to probation and permanently barred from returning to law enforcement.

The incident happened in May 2026 at the Myrtle Beach Police Department headquarters. According to an arrest warrant, DeBiase confronted a fellow officer who was heating fish in the department’s microwave because the smell was bothering him.

The disagreement allegedly took a dangerous turn when DeBiase removed his department-issued handgun from its holster and pointed it at the other officer.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division investigated the incident after the police department requested assistance. DeBiase was arrested on June 2 and initially charged with pointing and presenting a firearm at another person.

The Myrtle Beach Police Department placed him on administrative leave while internal and state investigations were conducted. The department later confirmed that he was no longer employed after its internal investigation identified multiple policy violations.

The criminal case eventually ended with a plea agreement. On October 23, DeBiase pleaded guilty to the reduced misdemeanor offense of public disorderly conduct, according to court records reported by The Smoking Gun.

He received 90 days of probation and a $350 fine. He was also ordered to surrender his South Carolina police certification permanently and never seek reinstatement.

The court granted him a conditional discharge, meaning the offense will not be entered as a conviction if he complies with the conditions imposed. A violation could allow the court to enter the conviction.

The case has attracted attention because an ordinary workplace disagreement over food odor escalated into an incident involving a police firearm. Authorities have not publicly identified the type of fish that was being heated or said whether the gun was loaded.

DeBiase’s law enforcement career is now over under the terms of the court order, following an incident that began with a colleague’s lunch in the office microwave.