A naked man was unwillingly pulled from the waters near the Redondo Beach Pier by the city’s Harbor Patrol last night, according to Redondo Beach Police.
According to Sgt. Mario Fizulick, police spotted the unidentified man running a red light on Catalina Avenue, near Emerald Street, around 10 p.m. on May 14 and began pursuit as he made a westbound turn towards the pier.
Shortly after officers turned on their lights, the man slowed to stop, and while the car was still rolling, jumped out of his vehicle, which crashed into a wooden pylon. His mother, who was in the vehicle’s passenger seat, was unharmed.
After fleeing the car, the man jumped into the ocean where, at some point, he took off his clothes, Fizulick said.
The Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol made an effort to capture the man and bring him aboard a patrol boat, but “they had difficulty due to his weight,” Fizulick said. Onlookers estimated the man weighed at least 250 pounds.
“He wasn’t all that cooperative — not fighting, just uncooperative,” Fizulick said.
Shortly after, Redondo lifeguards joined to bring the man to shore, where he was transported to Little Company of Mary hospital to undergo psychiatric evaluation.
According to Fizulick, the man’s mother was interviewed at the scene and told police that he had not hadn’t been drinking or doing any drugs.
The man is charged with leaving the scene of an accident. ER
