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Calif. dad throws 7-year-old son overboard during fight on tour boat, cops say

Sloan Briles AP Photo

(CBS/KCBS/AP) NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Sloan Briles, a Southern California father, was jailed on Monday for allegedly slapping his 7-year-old special needs son aboard a tour boat and tossing him overboard into Newport Harbor.

The incident reportedly happened Sunday afternoon as the 35-year-old Briles and his girlfriend were arguing aboard a commercial sightseeing boat carrying an estimated 85 passengers, says Orange County Sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino, reports CBS station KCBS.

The boy was crying because of the argument and was then thrown into the busiest part of the harbor by his father after being hit repeatedly, reports the station.

"Three boaters that were nearby came to the boy's rescue," said Amormino. "The father did eventually jump in, but by that time the boy was rescued by a boater."

Both the boy and his brother were later returned to their mother's care, the Associated Press reported.

Briles became combative with deputies when they boarded the vessel to arrest him, said Amormino.

He was released on Monday and is expected to be charged with child endangerment and resisting arrest.

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