A man who rushed to rescue a nine-year-old girl after a shark attack in Florida is now facing possible deportation. Luis Alvarez, 31, helped save the child after she was bitten and seriously injured while swimming, according to a report in Fort Myers News-Press. The dramatic rescue, which took place earlier this month, drew praise from many, but Alvarez’s situation has taken a turn since then.
Just days after the incident, Alvarez was stopped by police in the early hours of June 14 in Lehigh Acres, Lee County – about 140 miles northwest of Miami. According to an arrest report seen by the Fort Myers News-Press, officers said he was driving without his headlights on and did not have a valid driver’s licence.
Alvarez is now being held in jail by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and could now face deportation. He is scheduled to be presented before a judge on July 9.
Why was Luis Alvarez arrested?
Police say that Alvarez was pulled over on June 14 at around 1.30am (local time) for driving without his headlights on. When officers asked him for his driving license, he showed them a picture of his Employment Authorization Card on his phone.
Then, speaking in Spanish, Alvarez apparently told cops that he had been living in the United States for two and a half years and had never had a driver’s license. The arrest report said Alvarez is from Boaco, Nicaragua.
How did he help a shark attack victim?
{{/usCountry}}Then, speaking in Spanish, Alvarez apparently told cops that he had been living in the United States for two and a half years and had never had a driver’s license. The arrest report said Alvarez is from Boaco, Nicaragua.
How did he help a shark attack victim?
{{/usCountry}}On June 9, nine-year-old Leah Lendel was bitten by a shark while swimming at a Florida beach. Alvarez was the first person to go into the water. He attempted to scare the shark even as it attacked the nine-year-old.
“He jumped in that area to bring her out when I was assisting Leah,” fellow reducer Raynel Lugo told Fox News. “He went deep underwater, not even caring about the shark. He went really deep. He probably faced the shark.”