Paddleboarder breaks man's skull in water (San Diego)

[stoneaxe]

No defense for a bigger guy with a weapon to use it against a smaller guy without. I had a somewhat misspent youth. I've taken a knife away from a guy, been stabbed with a bottle, hit with various items including a rake while unarmed myself. I've used a pool cue against a bat and smashed a 6' long 3" thick walking stick across the hood of a car (right moved at the time...I was improvising... ). I'm not averse to using force but standing above a smaller guy and swinging your paddle at him....I don't care about the circumstances leading to it....is simply a pussy move.

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

 I AGREE, and is that misspent youth  where your name comes from?  no offense intenedd

[seadart]

I talked to a lifeguard this weekend who also had third hand information. So don't know what it's worth.  His understanding is that the police investigated, interviewed witnesses and the incident was considered self defense against surf rage and no charges would be filed.  Also the victim was described to me as 6'3" and very competitive. Injuries described by the media may be misleading since he was released very quickly for skull fracture and TBI.  Still think it's best to wait for facts from all sides before accusing someone.

[Weasels wake]

When you consider all the complaints about violence among surfers out in the water, that the San Diego police get, I'm not really surprised at this 3rd hand info., it's probably accurate.  Surf rage is a very old and continuing thing that's been going on, and the S.D. Popo know it.
Not an excuse, just an observation, I surfed those waters for over 20 years.

[Zooport]

Problem is that we will never have the whole objective story, only subjective versions of it.  Everybody is in the right according to their version of events.

[Tom]

I talked to a lifeguard this weekend who also had third hand information. So don't know what it's worth.  His understanding is that the police investigated, interviewed witnesses and the incident was considered self defense against surf rage and no charges would be filed.  Also the victim was described to me as 6'3" and very competitive. Injuries described by the media may be misleading since he was released very quickly for skull fracture and TBI.  Still think it's best to wait for facts from all sides before accusing someone.

6"3"!!!! Do you know the height and weight of the guy with the the Paddle?
 very competitive What the fuck does that mean and how is that relevant?

no charges will be files

That is not known at this time, the police are still doing an investigation and then the district attorney makes the decision, not the life guards.

I have talked to Kevin, his wife Janea, and Lena, the other person there, and you sir are full of shit. Get your facts before you publish them!!!

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

so Tom please fill us in on the  truth you know of or know both guys.   

[stoneaxe]

I AGREE, and is that misspent youth  where your name comes from?  no offense intenedd

LOL...no....from a stone axe I found while mowing the grass in my tree farm. Hit it with the lawn mower. I happened to need a screen name that night for a site I was signing up for and Stoneaxe was born....

We do need the whole story but I tend to believe the folks here who know those involved. I would take the media story with a grain of salt. Every story is simply click bait these days.

[Tom]

Several people have asked about updates on the assault at Sunset Cliffs. Kevin is recovering thanks to his good humor and strong will. He is quite lucky to be alive and not permanently injured. Paul hit him with the blade of the paddle while he was standing up and Kevin was lying down paddling on his 5 foot something surfboard. The day before, among other things, Paul ran over Lena on her body board, and the day of the assault, he seemed to be trying to run over the three of them on purpose. Kevin never touched the guy, was just paddling over to him to tell him he needs to stop what he's doing. He was hit above and behind his left ear. A few inches from that spot he could lose his sight, his hearing, or have permanent brain damage. He couldn't speak for a couple of days. When he first started speaking he sounded like a drunken sailor from Kayakistan who had a stroke.  Now he has some kind of eastern European accent and has a hard time saying words with over three syllables. He does get better every day and is confident that he will fully recover. He is back in the water surfing and still out surfs everyone.

Paul, the assailant, has been arrested and charged with (I believe) aggravated assault with intent to do great bodily harm with a lethal weapon. He has no prior convictions, has been released on bail, and his lawyer pleaded not guilty. The DA's office will decide soon whether to take it to trial. They got DNA samples from his paddle that proves he hit Kevin. There are rumors that Paul has had numerous violent outbursts while surfing and that he is on anti-psychotic medication.

Were are all hopeful that justice will be served and Paul will not be on the streets or in the water for a while.

[surfercook]

WOW! That's some update. Thanx, Tom. Sure glad there's none of that goin' on here at my break. So cool Kevin is surfing again. Seriously scary sh!t he is going through.

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

Thanks for the update,  I had a feeling the paul was   indeed threatening Kevins family becasue if you try to run over some one  that is threatening   with  potentially  grave bodily injury.  There is no excuse for that in todays line up.