Pursuit suspect attempts to swim away from authorities
Off the sunny shores of Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles, a man sought on felony charges took an unconventional swim, evading authorities for roughly an hour and a half in the chilly embrace of the Pacific Ocean. Ultimately, skilled lifeguards from Los Angeles County surrounded him in a coordinated effort and successfully brought him ashore to face his warrant. (Credit: FOX 11 Los Angeles)
Meanwhile, tensions flared beneath the waters off the coast of Florida in a startling clash over a prized lobster diving location. A diver found himself ensnared in a dire underwater ordeal when another man allegedly cut off his air supply, leading to an attempted murder accusation and arrest.
Michael Joseph Simpson, aged 51, made the choice to turn himself in at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center situated in Miami-Dade County. It was there, on a Tuesday evening, that jail records show he was formally charged with attempted murder, accompanied by a bond set at $10,000.
The troubling incident reportedly took place just after dawn, around 7 a.m. on July 29, about half a mile away from the exclusive Fisher Island. This altercation happened during the vibrant annual lobster mini-season, as reported by Local 10 News.
According to details provided in the arrest affidavit and covered by Law&Crime, Simpson is accused of aggressively maneuvering his boat toward another vessel at high speed. He reportedly circled the second boat multiple times before securing his anchor just 10 feet away, precipitating the alleged confrontation over the underwater treasure trove.
Michael Joseph Simpson’s booking photo after his arrest on an attempted murder charge in Miami-Dade County, Fla. (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation)
Investigators say the confrontation began after Simpson claimed the group was diving in “his spot” and warned that a larger boat was on its way before it arrived and anchored nearby.
Authorities allege Simpson then threatened to turn off the surface-supplied air system providing oxygen to an 18-year-old diver searching for lobsters. Investigators say Simpson jumped into the water and intentionally shut off the unit.
As the confrontation unfolded, witnesses yelled, “We have a diver down there you a–hole!” according to the arrest affidavit cited by Law&Crime.
The diver’s boat owner jumped into the water and pulled him to the surface. The diver was gasping for air and appeared disoriented but was not injured, Local 10 reported.
Rodriguez was awaiting trial at the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami, Fla. on charges of cocaine possession with intent to sell, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and trespassing. (Google Maps)
Investigators allege Simpson left before deputies arrived. After authorities identified him as the suspect, Simpson voluntarily surrendered Tuesday, according to Local 10.
Simpson’s attorney, Howard Srebnick, strongly denied the allegations in a statement to News Media, arguing investigators ignored evidence and witnesses he says support his client’s account.
Srebnick said Simpson was diving from his own boat with friends and his two young children and “never disabled anyone’s diving equipment.”
Srebnick said video shows one of the accusers becoming entangled in the Brownie’s Third Lung air system while Simpson “was nowhere near it.”
A tourist snorkels near the Christ of the Abyss statue surrounded by dead coral on the ocean bed in the Straits of Florida near Key Largo, Fla., Sept. 23, 2021. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)
He also disputed investigators’ allegation that Simpson fled, saying his client instead idled his boat away from the immediate area to avoid escalating the confrontation before cooperating with responding Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers and providing a statement.
Srebnick said numerous eyewitnesses aboard two separate boats corroborated Simpson’s version of events and criticized the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office for arresting his client before interviewing what he described as exculpatory witnesses.
“We are optimistic that the State Attorney’s Office, after reviewing the video and interviewing all the eyewitnesses, will dismiss the charges, clear his name, and restore the reputation he has spent a lifetime building,” Srebnick said.
News Media has reached out to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office for additional comment.