MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami Lakes attorney was arrested after, police said, he attacked an elderly passenger during a dispute aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship docked in Miami, leaving the victim unconscious.
Phillip Andrew Ortiz appeared befire Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy S. Glazer on Monday.
“You were arrested for aggravated battery,” said Glazer.
According to the arrest report, the confrontation began at around 2 p.m. on Saturday on board the NCL Encore, when Ortiz, 38, attempted to enter a secured hallway that was not yet open to guests.
The victim told officers he instructed Ortiz not to enter, prompting the suspect to respond angrily before pushing him, according to the report. Witnesses reported that Ortiz’s female companion also shoved the victim before a fight broke out, the report states.
Investigators said the victim pushed the woman away, further enraging Ortiz, who allegedly re-entered the restricted hallway.
The victim tried to close the door to prevent him from returning, but Ortiz forced it open, charged at him and continued the attack, according to the report.
During the struggle, Ortiz allegedly tripped the victim, causing him to fall and strike his head with Ortiz’s full body weight landing on top of him. The victim lost consciousness, the report states.
Police said Ortiz left the victim on the floor and made no attempt to help.
Other passengers began CPR when they could not find a pulse, and the ship’s nurse and security personnel responded. The victim was revived and later transported by Miami Fire Rescue to Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Detectives said witness accounts matched security video and the victim’s statements.
Ortiz and his attorney, Stephan Lopez, argued he was actually the victim and was protecting his wife from the angry, older man.
“My client vehemently denies that he is the primary aggressor,” said Lopez.
Lopez also told the judge Ortiz and his wife suffered minor injuries.
Ortiz was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in West Miami-Dade. He faces one count of aggravated battery on a person 65 or older, a first-degree felony.
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