Tempe police: Body found after wanted man jumps into lake

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — The body of a man sought on outstanding warrants was recovered from a Tempe lake Saturday following a search after he jumped in the water while being chased by officers, police said.

The incident began at about 5 a.m. when officers responded to a report of a family fight, separated a man and a woman for interviews and then learned the man was sought on three felony warrants, a police statement said.

The man ran and jumped into the lake on the the south shore near a pedestrian bridge and the Tempe Center for the Arts in the downtown area, police said.

“Officers immediately attempted rescue efforts by getting the police boat and dispatching Tempe Fire Medical and Rescue. Officers maintained communication with the male and tried to get the male to the bridge. The male was uncooperative with efforts to get him to a safer location,” the statement said.

Divers began searching for the man at about 9:30 a.m. and located his body about 11:30 a.m., police said.

The man’s identity and details about the warrants weren’t released.

The 2-mile-long (3-kilometer-long Tempe Town Lake was created in 1999 by damming a portion of the normally dry Salt River.