Professional skateboarder, Bam Margera, isn't in the headlines because he's been reported dead in yet another hoax - no, this time around. Margera has taken to Instagram to speak about how he was "robbed" at gunpoint in Columbia.
The 38-year-old, who shot to fame after appearing on MTV's Jackass, had just arrived in Cartagena, Colombia, when he jumped in a taxi outside of the airport. Speaking to his 1.6 million followers on Instagram, the Family Therapy star was understandably shaken.
"I just arrived in Cartagena alone and I took a taxi—a random one—from the airport to here. And I couldn't Spanish, they couldn't speak English, and they translated on their phone for me to read, 'Empty your wallet,' as they put a gun on their lap to show it to me," he said. "So I did, and I had $500. They let me go. That was weird. Welcome to Colombia!" he told his followers.
In a follow-up video, reported by People and other media outlets, Margera cracked open a can of Club Colombia beer. Now, that not seem like such a big deal. If you've ever been mugged, or had an awful experience while traveling, you might grab a beer to unwind as well. However, for Margera, it was a big deal, because he had been sober for nearly eight months.
"Sober since January 10th, this is how you open a beer being alone, bored and robbed," he reportedly captioned the post. "Anyone in Cartagena I will be sitting at the center square at high noon tomorrow with my skateboard if u wanna cruise." (This video appears to have been removed from Instagram.)
Margera has been open about his struggles with alcohol abuse. In 2011, his best friend and Jackass co-star Ryan Dunn died in a tragic car crash. Rattled, Margera abandoned his skateboarding career and slipped down a dark path of heavy drinking.
"At its worst, I would probably just wake up around 11 AM and instantly start drinking vodka and purple Gatorade," he told VICE. "By the end of the night, I would probably have ten pints worth of it. It was pretty bad. It was weird, because there would be times where I would go on a three-day bender of drinking and then five days of not drinking. When that five days ended, I would go on a two-day bender."
Last fall, Margera attended a surprise Jackass reunion at bar in Hollywood. The drinks were flowing all night, but the epic celebration had a miserable ending. The Viva La Bam star decided to drive home, and was arrested for driving under the influence.
"Long story short, as I drove away from the party, not knowing where I was headed, I pulled over to try and figure it out," he told Revolver. "That's when I noticed the police lights behind me. I was like, 'F*ck, I'm pulled over.' As it turned out, the police had actually pulled someone else over right behind me, and then came to my car to see why I was just sitting there. I had nothing to do with it, but I stayed there until I had something to do with it. So yeah, I had the pleasure of getting a DUI that night that led to my being in a treatment center for a month."
After treatment, Margera made a triumphant return to skateboarding. He credits his wife, Nicole, and his one-year-old son Phoenix Wolf, for helping him reach sobriety. Hopefully he'll be able to control himself in Colombia, despite the awful experience of being robbed.
