Michael Simpson (Miami-Dade Corrections).
A lobster-diving session off the Florida coast turned dangerous when a 51-year-old man allegedly shut off a diver's air supply because he was mad that people were hunting the crustaceans in his spot.
Michael Simpson is facing an attempted murder charge, court records show. According to an arrest affidavit, a ship captain had several juveniles on his boat to dive for the lobsters near Miami.
They anchored on a spot on the water early on July 29 and were preparing to dive when Simpson quickly approached in another boat. Simpson circled the vessel several times before he anchored about 10 feet away. He warned that a bigger boat was on its way. The second boat came and anchored nearby.
The juvenile was using a tankless diver unit with air hose lines coming from a flotation device and began his ascent underwater.
After exchanging words with the rival boat owner, Simpson became irate and said he could turn the air off if he wanted to, cops wrote. Simpson allegedly jumped in the water and "intentionally" turned off the unit, "cutting off the victim's air supply."
The boat owner yelled, "We have a diver down there you a—hole!" before he jumped into the water to rescue the boy.
When the diver surfaced, he was tangled with the hose and anchor line and "gasping for air," according to police. He appeared disoriented and was confused about what happened, cops wrote. A video showed Simpson quickly swimming away before fleeing in his boat, the affidavit stated.
The diver was not injured.
Investigators identified Simpson as the suspect and he turned himself in to the Miami-Dade County Jail on Tuesday. He declined to speak with detectives.
He remained in jail with a $10,000 bond as of Wednesday morning. His next court date is not listed.
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