A routine arrest on Saturday, Feb. 8, turned into a lifesaving effort by the Ontario police when a man fled the scene and jumped into the Snake River to evade arrest.
“The incident quickly shifted from a manhunt to a lifesaving mission,” Ontario Police Chief Jason Cooper said.
Cooper said in a press release that when a patrol officer stopped Jose Zamago, 36, near the Ontario BottleDrop Center to arrest him for a parole violation, he fled.
Cooper said Zamago led the cops on an “extended foot pursuit to Snake River,” where he dove into the water.
Swimming to a nearby sandbar where he attempted to “take refuge and evade apprehension,” Zamago began to show signs of hypothermia.
Cooper said that officers from the Oregon State Police and the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office, keeping the fugitive under observation, noticed he was in distress.
First responders in a boat fished Zamago out of the river and took lifesaving measures before taking Zamago to a local hospital. Once the hospital treated Zamago, he was lodged in the Malheur County Jail.
News tip? Send your information to Steven Mitchell at [email protected].
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