Irate Father Throws 7-Year-Old Son Off Cruise Boat

What was meant to be a pleasant afternoon cruise around Newport Harbor, California, turned ugly Sunday when an irate father turned violent, hitting and then throwing his crying 7-year-old son overboard during an argument. Needless to say passengers on the sightseeing cruise were in complete shock when they witnessed the incident unfold.

To make matters worse, the child was not an expert swimmer.

The 35-year-old man from Southern California, Sloan Briles was arrested the same day and is currently under investigation  for child endangerment and resisting arrest Orange County Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino said.

Amormino said Briles, his girlfriend and two sons from a previous marriage went on the cruise boat carrying 85 people but soon started arguing with the girlfriend and then with his 7-year-old son before throwing the boy overboard.

"The father hit him several times and then threatened to throw him overboard if he didn't stop crying," Amormino said. "The crowd on the boat became very angry at the father for hitting the kid and extremely angry when he threw him overboard."

While the father reportedly jumped in after his son to save him, but the child was rescued by another boater. The boy and his brother were returned to their mother's care.

The AP contributed to this story.