FreeTDS TSQL connect string

I am unable to connect to a MSSQL 2012 Server using FreeTDS on OSX in the terminal when I pass the -P .

Example:

V-MBP:etc vashavoc$ tsql -S SERVER_IP -p PORT -U USER -P PASSWORD
locale is "en_US.UTF-8"
locale charset is "UTF-8"
using default charset "UTF-8"
Msg 18456 (severity 14, state 1) from SERVER_IP Line 1:
"Login failed for user 'USER'."
Error 20002 (severity 9):
Adaptive Server connection failed
There was a problem connecting to the server

If I leave out the -P and force it to prompt for input, I can type/paste it in and I can connect. (No there is no typo when I try using -P.)

V-MBP:etc vashavoc$ tsql -S SERVER_IP -p PORT -U USER
Password: 
locale is "en_US.UTF-8"
locale charset is "UTF-8"
using default charset "UTF-8"
1> 

Seems very odd it works when I omit the password from the connect string. FreeTDS seems installed OK.

V-MBP:sh vashavoc$ tsql -C
Compile-time settings (established with the "configure" script)
                        Version: freetds v0.95.80
         freetds.conf directory: /usr/local/Cellar/freetds/0.95.80/etc
 MS db-lib source compatibility: no
    Sybase binary compatibility: no
                  Thread safety: yes
                  iconv library: yes
                    TDS version: 7.1
                          iODBC: no
                       unixodbc: no
          SSPI "trusted" logins: no
                       Kerberos: no
                        OpenSSL: yes
                         GnuTLS: no

Tried TDSVER=X.X variants before the tsql string without any change.

tsql -LH SERVER_IP

Also tried to see if it would list back its instances using the -LH, doesn’t respond and times out I presume.

Am I missing anything that could get this to work? It is a server setting that is preventing it?

@Phil‘s suggesting of the special char causing an issue was the problem. Corrected and the connection string works fine.