Florida man tries to drown toddler in swimming pool, police say

Wilkens Ordena, 29, allegedly tried to drown a toddler in an Orange County apartment complex pool. (Orange County Jail)

A Florida man tried to drown a toddler in an apartment complex swimming pool Monday before family members and bystanders swooped in for the rescue, officials said.

Wilkens Ordena, who is related to the infant, is now facing charges including attempted first-degree murder and fleeing and eluding law enforcement, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Family members reportedly told police that Ordena, 29, appeared “irritated,” grabbed the 1-year-old boy and then threw him into a pool in Pine Hills. An arrest affidavit viewed by the newspaper added that Ordena forced the boy underwater and squeezed the child with his thighs to hold him there.

According to the Sentinel, family members jumped into the pool and saved the child, with one person said to have put Ordena in a choke hold while another freed the toddler. The boy, who coughed up water and vomited, was then taken to a local hospital and is now said to be in stable condition.

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While fleeing the scene, Ordena crashed his car into two police vehicles and the complex gate before being arrested, officials said.

He was being held at Orange County Jail without bail.

Fox News' Michael Sinkewicz contributed to this report.