Cocaine Bust Capped Dramatic Beach Rescue

​Perhaps you saw the dramatic photos or video from the nighttime rescue of three people stranded at high tide in a Laguna Beach cove Wednesday.

Now, 20-year-old Giovanni Carlo Frizzle, who was one of those rescued, has been arrested on suspicion of cocaine possession and being under the influence of blow.

There had been previous reports that two of those rescued were intoxicated. It's unclear from this KTLA/Channel 5 report how Laguna Beach police determined Frizzle was also holding.

According to police, they received a call just before 9 p.m. Wednesday from a man who said he and two "very intoxicated" friends were trapped on the beach near Seacliff Drive and Pacific Coast Highway.

They had walked down to Littleman's Cove three hours earlier but got cut off as darkness fell and the tide came in.

In other words, they could not climb out the way they climbed in.

Three firefighters rappelled down a 75- to 100-foot cliff, and two lifeguards who swam around the point to reach the trio. They strapped the two men and one woman in individual metal stretcher baskets that were raised up the cliff one at a time.

In all, 40 responders from Laguna Beach Fire, Orange County Fire Authority, Laguna Beach lifeguards and U.S. Ocean Safety participated in the two-hour rescue.

The diciest moments came around 10:30 p.m., when the tide peaked at the height of the rescue operation, KTLA reports.

Two of those rescued were later treated for exposure and released. The third refused treatment.