Man drowns on Venice Beach; Death is under investigation

Venice Beach, Florida (Getty Images)

VENICE, Fla. (WFLA) – Police say a man died from drowning off Venice Beach, Florida, Sunday evening.

Venice police said first responders were called to the beach around 6:50 p.m. to assist a swimmer in distress.

An officer on scene was reported to have seen a man in the water approximately 400 feet (125 meters) from the south lifeguard stand.

Police said the officer drove a rescue buoy into the Gulf to retrieve the man, but he was already lying face down and unresponsive.

A Venice fire crew loaded the man, identified as Vjatselav Belts, 66, of Hesperia, California, onto the boat where they performed CPR. However, he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Belts’ death is being investigated by both the Venice Police Department and the District 12 Coroner’s Office.

According to police, the drowning incident occurred outside of lifeguard scheduled hours.

Little is known about Belts, but police said he has family in Missouri and Estonia.