A Sarasota Police Department (SPD) lieutenant’s daring leap into an unmanned speedboat brought a dangerous situation under control Monday after its operator was thrown overboard, leaving the vessel circling at around 40 mph off Florida’s coast.
The SPD Marine Unit successfully intervened with the support of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and other authorities, according to a Monday social media post. The department credited Marine Officer Dixon, Lt. King, Sergeant Frangioni and Officers Colatorti and Vaquera-Torres with preventing what could have been a catastrophic incident.
The SPD posted the videos to Facebook. They can be seen here.
One video shows a police boat pull up alongside the out-of-control vessel. Moments later, a man can be seen leaping to the other boat. A second video, from the view of Lt. King, the officer who pulled off the stunt, shows him leap on the boat and promptly take control, bringing it to a stop. Another officer can be heard congratulating him before the video ends.
The incident allegedly unfolded when a larger vessel drove in front of the boat, causing its operator to be ejected while attempting to navigate the wake. The unmanned boat began circling dangerously across the water, prompting authorities to respond to the emergency, police said. (RELATED: Chaos Ensues After Two Florida Airboats Crash, Sending 16 People To Hospital)
After several failed attempts to bring the situation under control, Sea Tow successfully deployed a plasma tow line to reduce the vessel’s speed, allowing Officer Dixon to maneuver a police boat alongside the vessel and Lieutenant King to leap aboard and stop it.
The operator received minimal injuries from the incident, police said. Officials said he had failed to wear a life jacket or use the vessel’s emergency engine cut-off switch.
The successful resolution in Sarasota follows other instances of officers performing extraordinary duties to protect public safety. In Fulshear, Texas, Lt. Bill Henry demonstrated similar quick thinking when he wrestled an alligator with his bare hands at a resident’s front door. Henry, who handled two separate gator calls that day, told KHOU11 that Fulshear police recruits receive specific training for alligator encounters due to their frequency in the area.
