A swimmer refusing to return to shore and swinging punches at a firefighter attempting to rescue him was arrested Friday in Surfside Beach.
On Friday afternoon, lifeguards near Surfside Pier were attempting to get 34-year-old Francisco John Carlo Aiello to return to shore, but Aiello continued swimming further out into the ocean, an incident report said. The lifeguards eventually flagged down a patrolling Surfside Beach Police officer.
A Surfside Beach Police Department report stated that an officer observed Aiello appeared to have possibly been in distress as he was swimming further into the ocean…