MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A Miami Beach man is facing an attempted murder charge after deputies said he cut off the air supply to an 18-year-old diver who was in the water searching for lobsters, according to a report from News4JAX partner station WPLG in Miami.
The report said the incident began as a fight over a lobster diving spot just after 7 a.m. on July 29, about a half mile east of Fisher Island.
According to deputies, the 18-year-old was already in the water when the 51-year-old pulled up next to the boat he was working with and started arguing with the boat’s owner that “they were in his spot.”
During the argument, the older man threatened to turn off the breathing system supplying air to the 18-year-old, and then he jumped in the water and did just that, according to the report.
The owner of the other boat quickly jumped into the water and pulled the 18-year-old to the surface, the report said.
Deputies said the older man left the area after turning the machine off, and the 18-year-old was left “gasping for air” and “disoriented.”
But he was OK, and his family told WPLG that he is studying to be a paramedic.
The 51-year-old’s attorney denies the accusations, saying “he never touched the tank.”
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