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Man fleeing sheriff's deputies drowns in Florida canal

Philadelphia Police
Posted at 8:33 PM, Mar 22, 2024
and last updated 2024-03-22 20:33:16-04

LAKE WORTH BEACH, Florida (WPBF) -- A man being arrested on a warrant by Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies in Lake Worth jumped into a canal to escape and then drowned.

A Sheriff’s Office public information officer told WPBF 25 that as deputies tried to arrest the suspect at 12:00 p.m. today, he started running, jumped into a canal and began to swim, ignoring commands from deputies to surrender. Soon after, he disappeared under the water and did not resurface.

Deputies searched the Keller Canal near 2nd Avenue for hours with a helicopter, marine patrol and drone unit before finally locating his body around 2:00 p.m.

The suspect was wanted on felony violation of probation warrants for forgery. He was also a suspect in a recent armed robbery.

Deputies are not releasing the name of the man because the next of kin have not yet been notified.