Suspect arrested after swimming into ocean to evade LAPD
A felony warrant suspect was arrested Thursday morning after swimming into the ocean at Will Rogers State Beach to evade the Los Angeles Police Department. West LA officers pursued him on foot into Pacific Palisades waters, where lifeguards helped take him into custody.
Key Takeaways
- LAPD West LA Division officers chased a felony warrant suspect on foot Thursday morning near Pacific Palisades.
- The man jumped into the ocean at Will Rogers State Beach in an attempt to escape arrest.
- Aerial video showed him nude from the waist down as he struggled with lifeguards before being taken into custody.
- His name has not been publicly released by authorities or local news outlets.
What happened during the Los Angeles Police Department chase?
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers received a call about a felony warrant suspect around 7:20 a.m. Thursday. ABC7 placed the foot chase near 7:15 a.m. as West Los Angeles officers closed in.
West LA Division officers soon spotted the man and tried to make contact. He refused to cooperate, ran from the scene, and led police on a foot pursuit that ended at the shoreline.
At Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades, he swam into the water in a last-ditch bid to get away. FOX 11 Los Angeles said SkyFOX aerial cameras kept rolling as the pursuit moved from sand into the Pacific.
How did lifeguards help end the ocean escape attempt?
FOX 11 reported that video showed the suspect nude from the waist down in the water. He appeared agitated and fought lifeguards while being taken into custody, then was arrested after a brief struggle.
ABC7 said AIR7 footage showed him floating near what appeared to be two lifeguards on surfboards. The water rescue-style arrest closed a chase that had already spilled onto a public beach.
The scene fits the wild-but-true lane of Bizarre News & Florida Man: a desperate swim that only delayed the handcuffs.
Why does this Will Rogers State Beach arrest matter?
Ocean escapes are rare, risky, and almost never work. Diving into the Pacific off a state beach endangers the suspect, officers, and lifeguards—and still ended in an arrest under Los Angeles Police Department response.
Neither FOX 11 nor ABC7 named the suspect. Both said he was wanted on a felony warrant and that further personal details had not been released at the time of their reports.
Local coverage aligns on the core facts: a Thursday morning foot chase, a leap into the surf at Will Rogers State Beach, and a waterborne takedown with lifeguard help after the Los Angeles Police Department callout.