Arrested Chicago Surfer: 'This is Insane'

Chicago - Surfer Rex Flodstrom of Chicago thought the two guys who were watching him surf on Lake Michigan on Tuesday afternoon were casual observers.

"I thought they might be friends, or just someone checking it out," he said.

Then, a bigger crowd gathered. They were cops. And when he came out of the icy waters on to Oak Street Beach, they put him in handcuffs.

"I was thinking, 'This is insane!'" he said. "I kept hoping that cooler heads would prevail. Surfing is legal in Chicago."

That's not how police see it. Flodstrom was cited for disorderly conduct, two counts of violating a Chicago Park District ordinance and one count of being in a park after hours because beaches are closed until May 25.

Flodstrom, 40, said he's surfed around the world, and he's dealt with hostile locals and jellyfish on other beaches, but this is the first time he's been arrested.

"It made me feel like the world is going a little crazy," he said.

Police also confiscated his surfboard.