A shark attacked a teenager Monday afternoon as he swam in waist-deep water at Surfside Beach, along Texas's Gulf coast, local police said.

The 15-year-old started beating the shark with both hands after it had bitten his lower left leg, according to Surfside Assistant Police Chief Gregg Bisso. The shark then bit the teen on the left hand. Kids from his church group, who were in the water with him, came to his aid after he'd been bitten, Bisso said. A Surfside police officer was at scene at the time and helped bandage the teen.

The boy was flown to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in Houston, where he was in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, Bisso said.

It wasn't immediately clear what type of shark attacked the teen. However, Bisso said there haven't been any shark attacks along Surfside Beach city limits, a 5-mile long barrier island, in 25 years. Brazoria County, which includes Surfside Beach, has had at least two attacks in the past four years, though.

Surfside Beach is about 65 miles south of Houston.