By Gayne C. Young
Eighteen-year-old boys do dumb shit all the time. Tyler Muehl may have just topped them all.
The La Jolla, California native plead guilty to violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act in the Southern District of California on August 13, 2026. The guilty plea is in response to Muehl’s kicking then chasing a sea lion in La Jolla Cove near Ellen Browning Scripps Park on the night of July 22, 2026.
According to his plea agreement, the 18-year-old admitted that he kicked at the sea lion four times and that his kicks connected with the sea dog’s head twice. He also admitted to chasing the animal. Muehl pretty much had to plead guilty to the charge of “knowingly and unlawfully taking a marine mammal in waters or on lands under the jurisdiction of the United States in that he did harass and hunt” a California sea lion (Zalphus californianus) as his friends filmed then posted to social media the event.
Eighteen-year-old boys not only do dumb shit all the time but they sometimes film and post that stupidity.
Doing Dumb Shit
The video—which of course went viral—shows Muehl approach the quietly sitting sea mammal with hands up as if he’s ready to box while proclaiming himself as “Max Holloway,” the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighter. Muehl kicks at the marine mammal which caused it to recoil. Muehl’s next kick connected with the sea lion, which quickly did a 180 in an attempt to escape. Muehl delivered a few more kicks before the animal was able to retreat. Those not in the video can be heard laughing.
Eighteen-year-old boys not only do dumb shit but laugh at others doing dumb shit.
Muehl admitted in court that the video was an accurate portrayal of what occurred.
La Jolla Teen Pleads Guilty to Harassing La Jolla Sea Lion https://t.co/3kKTix8WUt The attached video was admitted as Exhibit A to the plea agreement and shows the defendant repeatedly kicking at the sea lion in La Jolla Cove. pic.twitter.com/t5zXepghQ5
— US Attorney CAS (@SDCAnews) August 13, 2026
NOAA-Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement West Coast Division Assistant Director Eric Morgan stated in a press release, “[the] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Office of Law Enforcement takes all violations of the Marine Mammal Protection Act very seriously. Intentionally striking or kicking a marine mammal is not only illegal—it is dangerous for the well-being of the animal.”
Yeah. I would think such.
Kicking Sea Lions is Dumb
That same press release clarified that “Under the Marine Mammal protection Act, the word “take” includes harassment, which means “any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which: (i) has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild; or (ii) has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.”
Muehl is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt on October 20, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. Violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act can carry a sentence of up to a year in federal prison and up to $100,000 in fines.
Again, 18-year-old boys do dumb shit all the time and what Muehl did was pretty damn dumb. I’m hoping he gets his act together and that one dumb act doesn’t ruin the rest of his life.
