Shark bites man near Southern California beach

MA ATTA B AC AP A swimmer was bitten aturday by a juvenile great white shark that grew agitated trying to free itself from a hook a fisherman had thrown into the water off outhern California’s Manhattan Beach Pier, officials said

The man, who was with a group of long-distance swimmers when he swam into the fishing line, was bitten on a side of his rib cage around 3 a m , said ick lores, a os Angeles County ire epartment spokesman The man’s injuries were not life-threatening and he was taken to a hospital conscious and breathing on his own, lores said

itnesses said the appro imately seven-foot shark was thrashing around in the water for more than 3 minutes before biting the swimmer about 3 yards off the beach

ric Martin told KABC-TV that the shark’s mouth opened and closed as if it was trying to shake the hook

e think the swimmer just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, Martin said

The fisherman cut the line, and a surfer put the injured swimmer on his board, taking him ashore with the help of os Angeles County lifeguards Paramedics began treating the man

The victim’s identity was not released lores described him as a middle-aged man

The shark remained in the area for the ne t minutes and then disappeared into the murky water, lores said The beaches remained open, but a mile-long stretch was temporarily off-limits to swimmers Police also prohibited fishing from the pier until Tuesday as a precaution