MARATHON, Fla. — A couple in the Florida Keys was arrested over the weekend after allegedly attacking a Tampa Bay man for snorkeling too close to their property.
Paulo De Oliveira, 65, and 61-year-old Katia De Oliveira were charged with aggravated battery and battery, respectively, according to a Monroe County Sheriff's Office statement.
Deputies say they were called around 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the area of 12th Street and West Ocean Drive where the attack took place. The injured man, a 36-year-old from St. Petersburg, reportedly told authorities he was snorkeling close to the dock and got into an argument with the couple about his right to snorkel in the area.
Paulo De Oliveira hit him with some kind of pole while Katia De Oliveira attacked him with a fishing rod, the sheriff's office was told.
The man was "bleeding profusely from his head" after the reported attack, according to the agency. His family members were on a boat about 25 yards from shore and helped to corroborate the man's story, it added.
Deputies say security camera video in the area also confirmed the account.