A dispute over a Miami lobster fishing spot led to an attempted murder charge after a man allegedly shut off a teenage diver’s air supply mid-dive.
Court records show 51-year-old Michael Simpson was arrested by police after turning himself in to the Miami-Dade County Jail on Tuesday. He faces one count of attempted murder following an incident early in the morning on July 29.
According to an arrest affidavit, a charter boat captain anchored near Miami with several juvenile divers on board for a lobster hunting excursion. As the crew prepared to dive, Simpson approached the vessel in a separate boat, circling the water several times before anchoring approximately 10 feet away. Simpson told the group that a larger boat was coming, and a second vessel arrived and anchored nearby shortly after.
The victim was underwater using a tankless diving system, which pumps surface air to the diver through hose lines connected to a floating unit.
Police wrote that Simpson engaged in a verbal altercation with the charter boat owner and grew irate, stating he could turn off the air unit if he wanted to. Investigators allege Simpson then jumped into the water and intentionally shut off the floating power unit, severing the victim’s air supply.
The boat captain yelled, “We have a diver down there you a—hole!” before jumping into the water to assist the teenager, the affidavit states.
When the juvenile diver reached the surface, he was entangled in the air hose and anchor line, gasping for air and disoriented. Police noted that video of the scene shows Simpson swimming back to his boat and fleeing the area immediately following the incident.
The diver did not sustain injuries.
Simpson declined to speak with detectives upon turning himself in. Court records indicate he was held at the Miami-Dade County Jail on a $10,000 bond. No upcoming court dates have been scheduled.
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