A man wanted on a felony warrant was taken into custody Thursday morning after swimming into the Pacific Ocean off Will Rogers State Beach and remaining offshore for about 90 minutes in an apparent attempt to evade arrest.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department, officers from the department’s West Los Angeles Division were pursuing the suspect on foot near Pacific Coast Highway and Sunset Boulevard at about 7:21 a.m. when he ran past a lifeguard tower and entered the water.
Sky5 captured the unusual standoff as the suspect spent roughly an hour and a half treading water and swimming along the coastline while authorities waited offshore.
Sky5 video showed the man treading water a couple hundred yards off Will Rogers State Beach around 8:35 a.m. while two Los Angeles County lifeguards on rescue boards stayed nearby, appearing to speak with him and monitor his condition.
“He has made his way out quite a ways here in the ocean,” Sky5 reporter Rich Prickett said during KTLA’s live aerial coverage. “He’s been treading water for quite some time.”
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Lifeguards take the suspect into custody in the ocean off Will Rogers State Beach on July 16, 2026. -
A felony warrant suspect treads water off Will Rogers State Beach after fleeing Los Angeles police. July 2026. (KTLA) -
A felony warrant suspect treads water off Will Rogers State Beach after fleeing Los Angeles police. July 2026. (KTLA) -
A felony warrant suspect treads water off Will Rogers State Beach after fleeing Los Angeles police. July 2026. (KTLA)
A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department boat and a county lifeguard rescue boat also responded, positioning themselves near the suspect as authorities worked to safely end the unusual standoff.
Prickett reported the suspect had been in the water for more than an hour while continuing to tread water and slowly move parallel to the shoreline in the direction of Santa Monica.
Lifeguards appeared to be focused on keeping the suspect calm while remaining prepared to intervene if he became too exhausted to stay afloat. Rescue flotation devices could be seen nearby.
During the live broadcast, Prickett also noted the suspect did not appear to be wearing pants while in the water. Authorities have not commented on whether he removed any clothing before entering the ocean.
As the suspect swam closer to shore near Temescal Canyon, he suddenly turned and headed back out into deeper water, prompting lifeguards to move in.
Sky5 showed three lifeguards surrounding the suspect before one jumped off a rescue board and grabbed hold of him. The lifeguards then worked together to secure flotation devices on the man before bringing him toward a waiting Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department boat, where he was taken into custody.
Prickett estimated the suspect swam about a mile during the roughly 90-minute incident. Because the suspect appeared to be nude from the waist down, KTLA did not broadcast close-up aerial footage during the arrest.
It was not immediately clear what led officers to contact the suspect before the foot pursuit or what felony warrant he was wanted on.
The suspect’s condition and any additional charges he may face were not immediately released.
