A Florida lawyer has been charged with knocking out an elderly passenger on board a Norwegian Cruise ship, according to authorities.<\/p>\n
Married father of two Phillip Ortiz, 38, allegedly attacked the 67-year-old man on the Norwegian Cruise Line Encore after he told him that he couldn\u2019t go down a hallway that was restricted to other passengers at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho the f\u2014k are you to tell me what I can and can\u2019t do,\u201d the Miami Lakes attorney shot back and then pushed the victim, according to an arrest report\u00a0obtained by NBC Miami<\/a>.<\/p>\n Phillip Ortiz, 38, was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated battery. MDCR<\/p>\n The victim pushed away Ortiz and his wife, enraging the lawyer, sparking a scuffle, according to police. The unidentified victim didn\u2019t have a pulse, and witnesses began performing CPR on him after Ortiz left. Phillip Ortiz was on board a Norwegian Cruise Line ship when the alleged assault occurred. NBC 6<\/p>\n Security footage on the cruise ship matched what the victim and witnesses said happened, police said. The Norwegian Encore cruise ship in St. Thomas. Khairil \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n He pleaded not guilty on Sunday \u2014 and his attorney, Stephan Lopez, blamed the victim, who he claimed had been drunk and blocking Ortiz and his wife from reaching their children.<\/p>\n
Ortiz at one point tripped the victim, who landed on his head, knocking him out with Ortiz\u2019s full weight on him, the documents said.<\/p>\n
The cruise ship\u2019s nurses and security were called, with the knocked-out man eventually regaining consciousness and being rushed to University of Miami Hospital.<\/p>\n
Ortiz was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated battery on a person 65 or older.<\/p>\n