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Florida man, 53, charged with hitting tourist, 18, with shovel after beach dispute

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TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — A Florida man is being charged with aggravated battery after whacking a visiting tourist with a shovel in a dispute over digging at the beach.

WTSP-TV reported Sunday that 53-year-old Christopher Carosella from Tampa argued with 18-year-old Christian Geis over a large hole he had dug.

Carosella on Friday evening allegedly got upset when the Lexington, Ky., teenager refused to comply with his order to stop digging.

Drew Geis, Christian's father, told the station that 45 minutes later Carosella took the shovel his son had left on the beach and then attacked him when he was walking back to his hotel room.

The station reported the Treasure Island Police Department said Carosella struck Christian Geis twice, causing bruising and abrasions.

The station said that Carosella was later released from the Pinellas County Jail on a $2,500 bond. Court records do not list an attorney.