A man wanted on a felony warrant attempted to evade arrest by fleeing into the Pacific Ocean on Thursday, triggering a roughly 90-minute standoff with law enforcement and lifeguards.
The incident began around 7:21 a.m. near Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard, where officers from the Los Angeles Police Department's West LA Division tried to make contact with the suspect.
The man ran on foot past a lifeguard tower and entered the water at Will Rogers State Beach.
He remained hundreds of yards offshore as county lifeguards on rescue boards monitored his condition and attempted to communicate with him.
A sheriff's department boat and a county lifeguard rescue boat positioned themselves offshore to contain the situation.
At one point, the suspect swam toward shore near Temescal Canyon before abruptly turning back into deeper water.
Lifeguards then moved in and brought the standoff to an end.
Video footage shows the suspect struggling against three Los Angeles County lifeguards as they restrained him and guided him toward a waiting sheriff's boat.
He continued to resist as he was brought alongside the vessel, where officers and lifeguards pulled him aboard and took him into custody.
The suspect swam approximately one mile during the nearly 90-minute ordeal and appeared to be unclothed from the waist down.
It remains unclear why officers initially approached the man or what felony warrant he was wanted on.
His identity, current condition, and any additional charges had not been released at the time of reporting.
