Lawyer for boater Carlos Alonso, 78, accused of fatally striking teen ballerina Ella Adler says he had no idea of the tragedy when police 'came knocking' despite witnesses describing 'blood in the water'

The lawyer representing the man accused of piloting the boat that killed 15-year-old ballerina Ella Adler says her client had no idea of what happened until the police came calling at his door in south Florida. 

Carlos Alonso's attorney, Lauren Field Krasnoff, also said 'there's doubt about his involvement,' reports CBS Miami. 

Ella and another girl were wakeboarding behind a 42-foot Hanse Fjord walk-around near Key Biscayne, just south of Miami, on Saturday afternoon before falling off at different spots, officials said. 

A dozen people had been on the boat pulling Adler. Before the vessel could return to collect her, Adler was hit by another boat, which immediately sped away, according to a statement from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Onlookers described the hit-and-run craft as a center console boat with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard engines and blue bottom paint. Witnesses also said that after the light blue vessel sped off, there was 'a lot of blood in the water.'

Pictured: Carlos Guillermo Alonso, the man police suspect hit Ella Riley Adler with his light blue boat on May 11 while she was wakeboarding

Alonso lives in a $4 million home in an exclusive gated community in Coral Gables, Florida 

Adler, 15, was with 13 other people on a boat that pulling her and a friend as they wakeboarded 

Carlos Alonso's attorney, Lauren Field Krasnoff, also said 'there's doubt about his involvement,' reports CBS Miami

In a statement to reporters on Wednesday, Alonso's lawyer said Alonso has been an avid boater for over 50 years and that he was by himself on his vessel on the day Ella was killed. 

'If he was the person that was involved in this accident, and I want to be clear, we don't know that yet. If he was he had absolutely no idea of his involvement,' she said. 

'When the police came knocking, he did not know why. We're not sure if he was involved. But if he was he absolutely did not know what had happened.'  

According to a maritime attorney who spoke to NBC6 Miami, there's no chance that the person who hit Adler was unaware of the impact.

'I find that extremely hard to believe because hitting a person is a large object, you would definitely feel that especially if you are going at any type of a rate of speed,' Michael Winkleman said.

Krasnoff pointed out that Alonso tied his boat up in plain sight after returning home and that he is cooperating with the investigation. 

The lawyer said that Alonso does not drink alcohol and that he was not drinking when he was out boating on Saturday, where conditions were described as 'choppy.'

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson said the investigation was active and they couldn’t speculate on what charges might be filed

itnesses described the hit-and-run craft as a center console boat with a light blue hull, multiple white outboard engines and blue bottom paint

Mourners support one another as they exit Temple Beth Sholom after Adler's funeral service in Miami on Monday 

 Yacht captain Griffen Diaz, who was in the area at the time of Ella's death, told Local10: 'The wind and the waves were coming out of the west which is very unusual for Biscayne Bay, it is a rare wind occurrence and it makes the bay a lot choppier.' 

She added that Alonso came to the US from Cuba as a minor as part of Operation Peter Pan between 1960 and 1962 when 14,000 children were smuggled out of the Communist country on the basis of the falsehood that the Castro regime was planning to terminate parental rights and place minors in the care of the state.

Krasnoff also said that Alonso was left 'devastated by Ella's death.  

At the time of writing, no criminal charges have been filed against Alonso, according to a report released Wednesday.

Alonso, known locally as Bill, owns the Coral Gables home where Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers found and seized the docked boat Tuesday afternoon. 

Officials subsequently confirmed that he was the only person on board the boat that struck Ella.  

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesperson said the investigation was active and they couldn't speculate on what charges might be filed.

Ella's (center) devastated family described her as a 'force of nature' who 'loved to dance', and she was a celebrated local ballerina with the Miami City Ballet 

Ella was a celebrated local ballerina who was cast in performances of The Nutcracker, performing over 100 times for the Miami City Ballet 

Police canvassed the marinas near the scene of the hit and run on Monday, but they haven't yet located the boater. Authorities are offering a $20,000 reward for anyone who can provide information about the person who struck the teenage girl with their boat and sped off

A heartbreaking funeral service for Adler was held Monday morning at Temple Beth Sholom in Miami Beach. Adler was a freshman at Ransom Everglades School in Coconut Grove and a ballerina with the Miami City Ballet. 

She was a high achieving student, a member of the her school's Jewish Student Association and had a 'big posse of friends,' according to her obituary.

Matthew Adler, Adler's father, shared his heartbreaking message to his daughter at her funeral. 

'You were taken from us way to soon, and the world has been robbed of all the things you could have achieved. But you will always be here with us and your friends and family will carry your energy and spirit forever,' he wrote in a letter read by Rabbi Jonathan Berkun. 

She was also a talented ballerina, appearing in over 100 performances of the Nutcracker with the Miami City Ballet.

After the boat that struck Adler was found by police, her family released a new statement Tuesday thanking authorities for their hard work on the case.

'The world lost a star this weekend. Ella was beautiful and shined brightly. In her 15 years, she gave us more light than we could have ever dreamed,' the family said. 

'While we cope with this unspeakable tragedy, we ask the public to give us our privacy as we mourn.'

Ella is survived by her parents, Amanda and Matthew along with her siblings Jaden and Adalynn. She was also the great-granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor, and the granddaughter of Michael Adler, the US Ambassador to Belgium.

The family confirmed that First Lady Jill Biden visited with the Adler family following the funeral in the Jewish tradition of mourning known as Shiva, which lasts over a period of seven days.

'We are honored that the First Lady paid a Shiva call to our family during this time of immense pain. We are touched by their support and love and we are proud to call the President and First Lady our friends for over 40 years,' statement from the family said.