A man hailed as a hero for helping save a 9-year-old girl from a shark attack in Florida is now being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to reports.
Luis Alvarez, 31, originally from Boaco, Nicaragua, was one of several men who intervened on June 9 when the girl was attacked by a suspected bull shark while snorkeling near Boca Grande. Alvarez wrapped the girl’s partially severed hand in towels before she was airlifted to a hospital for emergency surgery.
Just five days later, Alvarez was pulled over around 1:30 a.m. for driving without headlights, according to an arrest report obtained by USA Today. He showed officers a photo of his employment authorization card on his phone but admitted in Spanish that he had never held a driver’s license in the United States.
Alvarez was charged with driving without a license and is now in ICE custody at the Collier County Jail and may face deportation.
“Though he has no history of arrest in Collier County, court documents show that Alvarez has been arrested on similar charges of not having a valid license four times in nearby Lee County, Florida,” according to a report in the Independent. “He paid fines or had adjudication withheld by three different judges.
The judge in his most recent case issued a D6 suspension, citing unpaid fines. Alvarez is due in court on July 9.
Meanwhile, his actions in the shark-infested water earlier this month are still being praised.
"He jumped in that area to bring her out when I was assisting Leah," Raynel Lugo, who also helped during the incident, told Fox4 News. "He went deep underwater, not even caring about the shark. He went really deep. He probably faced the shark."