KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – The attorney for popular radio host DJ Laz, whose real name is Lazaro Mendez, said no charges will be filed against him in a fatal May 2014 boating accident off Key Biscayne.
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers said Mendez was steering a 40-foot promotional boat when it became stuck on a sandbar near Key Biscayne. No one wanted to wait until high tide at 1:30 a.m., so a group moved to push the boat.
That was when Ernesto Hernandez, 23, of Hialeah, ended up at the back of the vessel. His torso got caught on the boat's moving propeller, FWC spokesman Jorge Pino said.
In a statement from his attorney, Mendez said, "My thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the Hernandez family as they continue to heal from the loss of Ernesto from the sad tragic day."
According to five officers at the scene, DJ Laz declined sobriety tests and displayed no indication he was impaired.
"This is a tragedy, that is undeniable, but we appreciate the state attorney's office reviewing the clear evidence and not compounding the tragedy by filing criminal charges where none are warranted or appropriate," wrote Mendez' attorney, Mycki Ratzan. "Though there are no winners here today, justice was served."
A memorandum from the state attorney's office obtained by Local 10 News stated that there was "insufficient evidence to prove that he was under the influence of alcohol to the extent that his faculties were impaired."
The memo also stated that all 13 witnesses on Mendez's boat claimed he was drinking a non-alcoholic beverage.
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