Man who helped save girl after shark attack arrested, may be deported
WBBH, LEE COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, COLLIER COUNTY JAIL, FAMILY PHOTOS, CNN
By Madison Zaleski
Click here for updates on this story
BOCA GRANDE, Florida (WBBH) — One of the construction workers who dove into the gulf to save a girl from a shark was arrested and could be deported.
Luis Alvarez is now locked up in the Collier County Jail. Alvarez was arrested after being pulled over just a few days after the shark bite incident.
A man who put himself in danger to help a little girl during a shark attack in Boca Grande is now facing deportation.
Luis Alvarez was one of the three men who rushed into the bloody waters to help 9-year-old Leah Lendel.
“He jumped in the water to take the shark out of her hand,” said Raynel Lugo.
Raynel Lugo, who also helped in the rescue, said Alvarez was the first one to jump into the water to scare off the shark.
“I talked to him after that. Even though we laugh about the fact that we can think about what can happen to us. We just, we act. It was pretty quick. We’re in the seconds. So he is just that kind of person,” said Lugo.
Body camera footage shows the three men, including Alvarez, standing next to the water as EMS treated Leah.
“He’s a great guy. He’s always talking good stuff about the family, you know, fighting to get a better life for his family, working so hard and being in this country,” said Lugo.
But just a few days after the rescue, deputies pulled him over in Immokalee for driving without headlights.
According to the arrest report, when asked for his license, Alvarez showed a photo of his “employment authorization card” on his phone. When they discovered he didn’t have a driver’s license, he was arrested and taken to jail.
“He is someone with a work permit that is legally authorized to work here in the United States, is told by police for driving without a license. I don’t know why this person is being detained by ICE if he had a work permit, unless he has a criminal background,” said immigration attorney Ricardo Skerrett.
Alvarez told the arresting officer in Spanish that he has been in the country for two and a half years and has never had a driver’s license.
So what’s the next step for the Alvarez family?
“They’re trying right now to get advice from an immigration lawyer. See what they can do to help in this case. This guy, I think Luis deserved a second opportunity. I think after what he went through, after what people saw in the news, that he didn’t think about it twice to save that little girl,” said Lugo.
Alvarez is now at the Collier County Jail. He has a court date scheduled for July 9.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.
