Suspect jumps into Trinity River while trying to elude police

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A chase in Fort Worth quickly turned into a rescue.

Police say a man accused of several crimes ran from officers and jumped into the Trinity River Thursday afternoon to try to escape. But instead, he ended up yelling to officers for help.

The suspect thought jumping into the Trinity River was the key to him getting away, but officers say it could've easily cost him his life.

The suspect hasn’t been identified. He was transported to a hospital to be checked out. Investigators say he'll be charged multiple burglaries of some nearby businesses.

After more than an hour, officers spotted the man's leg come up out of the water shaking pretty intensely. They quickly moved in with a swift water rescue boat.

Police are giving a great deal of credit to a woman who happened to be in the area and saw the suspect jump into the river.

The suspect was running from police on foot. The chase began after a business owner whom the suspect allegedly burglarized previously saw him and called 911.

"By the time he made it all the way across, they were looking in the water. They were looking everywhere, and the officer made it to me,” said witness Jackie Inman. “I'd made it to the bridge and he asked, ‘Did you see anybody?’ I said yeah. There was a guy who swam across the water, but he never came back out."

"Easily an hour and a half in the Trinity River. He tried to hide out in there basically,” said Fort Worth Officer Buddy Calzada. “Thankfully, this young lady did see him doing what she described to us as basically a backstroke through the Trinity River looking around, and she never saw him come out of the water."

Police say it appeared the man was having a medical episode by the time they got to him that was most likely because of how cold the water is.

The suspect was conscious when he was taken into custody.