A man tried to avoid police by jumping in the Boise River. After a rescue came an arrest
A man jumped into the Boise River early Tuesday to avoid police officers but was later arrested after authorities pulled him out of the water.
At around 11 a.m., police officers approached a 25-year-old Boise man in Julia Davis Park after receiving a citizen complaint about an individual who seemed impaired and was “huffing compressed air,” Boise Police Department spokesperson Haley Williams told the Idaho Statesman in an email.
When the man saw the officers approaching, he started to run away, and when police tried to stop him, he allegedly battered the officers by striking them with his arms and legs, Williams said. He then jumped into the cold, swift-moving river.
Police said the man refused commands to get out of the water, which caused officers and firefighters to get into the water and launch a boat to rescue him. Williams said the man “avoided” lines that were thrown at him, but eventually took a life jacket. By about 11:35 a.m., authorities were able to get him out of the river before he reached the dam near the Americana Bridge.
Sections of the Greenbelt are still closed due to flooding and there is a “dangerous river condition warning” in effect for the Boise River. The Boise Fire Department doesn’t recommend people go into the river as the water conditions could be life-threatening. A kayaker died in the river in May.
The man Tuesday was arrested on suspicion of several counts, including battery on a law enforcement officer, which is a felony. He’s being held at the Ada County Jail and will appear before a judge Wednesday, when bond will be set.
