California shark attack leaves swimmer with serious injuries: reports

A shark attacked a California swimmer Wednesday, seriously injuring the man before good Samaritans rushed to his aid, according to reports.

The victim was pulled from the water by nearby beach goers who then began giving him first-aid, according to video obtained by KSBW 8.

The attack occurred at Lovers Point Beach in Pacific Grove, a community south of Monterey, while the man was swimming about 150 yards from the beach around 10:35 a.m., officials told KSBW 8.

“He was screaming for help, you could tell the sound and the emotion in his voice that there was something definitely wrong and he was slapping the water,” Paul Bandy, one of the good Samaritans, told the television station. “I wasn’t sure if that was some sort of thing he was trying to get something away from him or just trying to draw attention to himself.”

Bandy, a police officer, and his wife, who is a nurse, were paddle boarding nearby when they went to help the distressed swimmer, according to KSBW 8. The couple was in town from Sacramento County and celebrating their wedding anniversary.

City officials said the victim, identified as Steve Bruemmer by friends, suffered major injuries to his stomach and leg, KSBW 8 reported. Bruemmer is an avid swimmer, friends told the news station.

“We want to express our gratitude and appreciation to the good Samaritans that took immediate action and personal risk to assist the swimmer,” Police Grove police said in a news release, according to the Los Angeles Times. “We send our prayers and thoughts to the swimmer and their family.”

The Monterey Fire Department used a drone to search for the shark, but came up empty, police said, the LA times reported.

Beaches will now be closed for 72 hours in that area as a precaution.