Two sheriff’s deputies have been suspended after they were arrested for an off-duty brawl with U.S. sailors in Key West, Florida early Saturday, leaving one of the sailors injured, officials said.
Monroe County deputies Connor Curry, 23, and Trevor Pike, 25, are charged with disorderly conduct, jail records show. Pike faces an additional charge of felony battery.
A Navy sailor was airlifted from Key West to a Miami hospital early Saturday morning, according to the Miami Herald. The fight is believed to have been between the two off-duty sheriff’s deputies and three sailors, whom the newspaper identifies as Angel Low, 26; Jose Bejar Jr., 22; and James Black, 27.
The two uninjured sailors were charged with disorderly conduct, Key West police said in a press release. They are part of a squadron visiting U.S. Naval Air Station Key West.
Police said the deputies and sailors began arguing shortly before 2 a.m. on Duval Street, a popular area that has bars and restaurants.
Police officers said they witnessed Pike punch a 27-year-old sailor in the face while Curry pushed him, causing the sailor to fall and strike his head. Black was the sailor flown by helicopter to a hospital near Miami. His condition was reported as, “suffering a brain bleed and loss of consciousness” police told the Miami Herald.
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said in a statement that he was suspending the deputies without pay. He said he was “saddened by this incident, and it will be fully investigated.”
Jail records show that Pike and Curry were released Saturday — Pike on $55,000 bail and Curry on his own recognizance. No attorneys were listed.
