A 70-year-old Florida man attacked a disabled 21-year-old, slapping him and holding him underwater during a dispute over where the younger man could live, according to police records and surveillance footage reviewed by authorities.
John Dana faces charges of attempted murder after the May incident at a residence where both men had been staying. The victim, identified only as Duffy in police documents, was using crutches at the time of the assault.
The confrontation began when Dana told Duffy “it’s time to go,” ordering him to leave the property. What followed was captured on video that prosecutors will likely use as their centerpiece evidence.
Police said the footage shows Dana slapping Duffy across the face before tackling him to the ground near a body of water. Dana then “forcefully held” the younger man underwater in what investigators characterized as a deliberate attempt to kill him.
The physical mismatch raises questions about how the dispute escalated so rapidly. Duffy’s use of crutches made him particularly vulnerable, yet Dana chose violence over any legal eviction process that property owners routinely use to remove unwanted residents.
Florida law allows property owners and legal residents to remove trespassers, but those remedies run through courts and law enforcement — not vigilante drowning attempts. Even squatters, who have become a growing problem in some states, must be removed through proper legal channels.
The case reflects a disturbing trend where Americans take disputes into their own hands rather than trusting a legal system they increasingly view as slow or ineffective. Property rights matter deeply to most Americans, but attempted murder is never a legitimate response to residency disagreements.
Dana now sits in jail facing a first-degree felony charge that could send him to prison for the rest of his life. Prosecutors will argue the video evidence speaks for itself — a man nearly three times his victim’s age attacking a disabled person who couldn’t effectively defend himself.
Defense attorneys will likely explore what led to the confrontation and whether Dana felt threatened, though that argument faces long odds given Duffy’s physical limitations and the nature of the assault captured on camera.
The case heads to court in the coming months. Duffy survived the attack and will presumably testify about what happened before Dana’s hands pushed him beneath the surface.
Key Points
- John Dana, 70, faces attempted murder charges after allegedly slapping and holding a 21-year-old man underwater during an argument over residency
- The victim was using crutches at the time, making him particularly vulnerable to the assault
- Surveillance video captured the attack, providing prosecutors with direct evidence of the alleged drowning attempt
https://lawandcrime.com/crime/its-time-to-go-70-year-old-man-tried-to-drown-21-year-old-on-crutches-after-argument-over-residency-police-say/ – June 05, 2026
