A Florida lawyer has been charged with knocking out an elderly passenger on board a Norwegian Cruise ship, according to authorities.
Married father of two Phillip Ortiz, 38, allegedly attacked the 67-year-old man on the Norwegian Cruise Line Encore after he told him that he couldn’t go down a hallway that was restricted to other passengers at the time.
“Who the f—k are you to tell me what I can and can’t do,” the Miami Lakes attorney shot back and then pushed the victim, according to an arrest report obtained by NBC Miami.
The victim pushed away Ortiz and his wife, enraging the lawyer, sparking a scuffle, according to police.
Ortiz at one point tripped the victim, who landed on his head, knocking him out with Ortiz’s full weight on him, the documents said.
The unidentified victim didn’t have a pulse, and witnesses began performing CPR on him after Ortiz left.
The cruise ship’s nurses and security were called, with the knocked-out man eventually regaining consciousness and being rushed to University of Miami Hospital.
Security footage on the cruise ship matched what the victim and witnesses said happened, police said.
Ortiz was arrested Saturday and charged with aggravated battery on a person 65 or older.
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