Hawaiian surfing legend Johnny Boy Gomes has been charged with third-degree assault after he held “another man’s head under water off Wakiki Beach” last week.
The Honolulu Star Advertiser is reporting Gomes got into an argument with a 56-year-old man before “the dispute became physical and culminated with Gomes holding the man’s head under water.”
“Gomes fled before police arrived, but was arrested the next day…for investigation of second-degree attempted murder. The charge was later downgraded to an assault,” the report continues.
He posted $2,000 bail.
Gomes polarized the world surf media with his ultra physical approach both in and out of the water throughout the late eighties and early nineties, most infamously for reportedly punching Jodie Cooper.
He dominated the line up at Pipeline and once eliminated Kelly Slater to win the Pipe Masters in 1997. After a period of inactivity, Gomes appears to be making a return of sorts, with pictures of a trim Gomes and his unmistakable style making the rounds on social media.
Full report from The Honolulu Star Advertiser here,
