MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Officers with the Bradenton Police Department were responding to a
report of vehicle burglaries early Saturday morning when they spotted two men hiding on the porch
of an apartment near Riverside Drive East and Chauncey Avenue East in Bradenton.
When the officers attempted to detain the men, one man took off on foot, fleeing into a retention pond. When the officer asked the man to get out of the water, he refused, a news release said.
Shortly after, the man “went under and did not resurface,” according to police.
The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Dive Team responded and found the man dead.
Authorities said an investigation is still in its early stages and the man’s name is being withheld until his next-of-kin is notified. Bradenton police told WFLA an examiner will determine the man’s cause of death.
Additional information is expected to be released as this investigation continues.
This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app.