Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Great white shark attacks swimmer at Manhattan Beach Pier
An eyewitness photo of the scene after a shark attack on Saturday, July 5, 2014.
(
Levi Schoeben
)
EMTs closed off the Manhattan Beach Pier following a shark attack on Saturday, July 5, 2014.
(
Janice R. Littlejohn
)
Lifeguards circling a shark as a man who was bitten is taken to the hospital on Saturday, July 5, 2014.
(
Janice R. Littlejohn
)
The Manhattan Beach Pier after it was cleared following a shark attack on Saturday, July 5, 2014.
(
Janice R. Littlejohn
)
A great white shark bit a long-distance swimmer at the Manhattan Beach Pier Saturday morning, Los Angeles County Fire Inspector R. Flores tells KPCC.
The swimmer was bitten at approximately 9:30 a.m., Flores said. A pier fisherman fishing off the pier had latched onto the 7-foot great white shark and had been trying to pull the shark in for 30 to 40 minutes.
The shark was taking the line out to sea and getting agitated, trying to bite the line, Flores said. At that point, a group of long-distance swimmers was swimming by.
"Being that the shark was agitated, it bit," Flores said. "Basically a bite and release of the upper right torso of one of the swimmers."
Support for LAist comes from
The wounds were classified as moderate bite wounds, Flores said. The swimmer was treated by lifeguards and transported to a local hospital, both Flores and Manhattan Beach police confirmed. The swimmer was breathing on his own.
Manhattan Beach police would not confirm a shark attack to KPCC, but said that they assisted lifeguards with an ocean rescue in the beach area south of the pier.
Officials say beaches are open, but there is currently a two-mile water restriction. It stretches from 22nd Street in Hermosa Beach to 34th Street in Manhattan Beach.
It's unclear whether the fisherman broke any laws — it's illegal to fish great white sharks in California, but the fisherman didn't catch the shark — but local authorities are turning over information to the California Fish and Game Commission, L.A. County Lifeguard Captain Tracy Lizotte tells the Daily Breeze's Carley Dryden.
Support for LAist comes from
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the timeline of the attack and the number of times the swimmer was bitten. KPCC regrets the error.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance. -
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
-
Monarch butterflies are on a path to extinction, but there is a way to support them — and maybe see them in your own yard — by planting milkweed.
-
With California voters facing a decision on redistricting this November, Surf City is poised to join the brewing battle over Congressional voting districts.
Best of LAist