A violent confrontation in Morro Bay could end without a criminal trial after a stand-up paddler accused of attacking a female surfer was granted entry into a court-ordered mental health diversion program. Andrew Eric Gustafson, a Morro Bay resident, was charged with two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon following an altercation on Aug. 23, 2025. One count alleged force likely to produce great bodily injury. Gustafson pleaded not guilty.

The alleged victim, surfer Haylee Red-Van Rooyen, testified during a January court hearing that Gustafson collided with her in the water, then pursued her, jumped onto her surfboard, and forced her head underwater.

“I thought I was going to die,” Red-Van Rooyen testified. “He grabbed my hair and held me underwater, and I didn’t know if I was going to make it.”

According to her testimony, Gustafson repeatedly hurled vulgar insults at her throughout the encounter.…