Pursuit suspect attempts to swim away from authorities
A felony warrant suspect remained in the Pacific Ocean near Will Rogers State Beach for roughly 90 minutes before Los Angeles County lifeguards moved in, surrounded him and assisted with his arrest. (Credit: FOX 11 Los Angeles)
A dispute over a lobster diving location off Florida’s coast reportedly turned dangerous when one man was accused of cutting off another diver’s air supply underwater — an alleged confrontation that has led to an attempted murder charge.
Michael Joseph Simpson, 51, turned himself in Tuesday at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami-Dade County, where jail records show he was booked that evening on an attempted murder charge. His bond was set at $10,000.
The alleged incident happened shortly after 7 a.m. on July 29, about a half-mile east of Fisher Island, during Florida’s annual lobster mini season, according to Local 10 News.
Citing an arrest affidavit, Law&Crime reported that Simpson allegedly sped toward another boat, circled it multiple times and then dropped anchor about 10 feet from the vessel.
Booking photo of Michael Joseph Simpson following his arrest on an attempted murder charge in Miami-Dade County, Florida (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation)
Investigators said the encounter intensified after Simpson accused the group of diving in “his spot” and warned them that a larger boat was coming. That vessel later arrived and anchored nearby, according to authorities.
Authorities allege Simpson then threatened to shut down the surface-supplied air system delivering oxygen to an 18-year-old diver who was looking for lobsters. Investigators said Simpson entered the water and deliberately turned 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.
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Rodriguez was awaiting trial on charges including cocaine possession with intent to sell, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and trespassing at the Miami-Dade Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami, Fla. (Google Maps)
Investigators allege Simpson left the scene 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 Outlet, arguing that investigators ignored evidence and witnesses that 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 became 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, Florida, on September 23, 2021. (Photo by 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 corroborate 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 Outlet has reached out to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office for additional comment.
