With the hot weekend, our Marine Services and Pierce County Metro Dive Team kept very busy responding to water emergencies. We sadly had a drowning at Spanaway Lake and lost a young man.
#1 Drowning
On August 22nd at 6:22pm, a reporting party called 911, stating his friend was underwater and needed help. He reported he was in the water with his friend, near the roped-off swimming area, when his friend continued to go out further than he could touch. The friend did not know how to swim and was unable to make it back before going underwater. The Pierce County Metro Dive Team was immediately dispatched and arrived at the swimming area within 17 minutes. The 19-year-old male victim was later located, but it was sadly too late.
***This next segment covers an incident about suicide, please call 988, The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, if you or someone you know needs help***
#2 Tacoma Narrows Bridge Rescue
On August 22nd, around the same time as the drowning call at 6:30pm, our SWAT negotiators assisted multiple other agencies to assist a jumper off the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. An adult female had wanted to end her life, but after talking with one of our deputies, she agreed to come back over the ledge to safety. She was provided support and wraparound services to get the proper care she needed and made a lot of new friends with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and the other agencies. We encourage all those who need support to reach out for help and to know they are loved and there are many people who care about their well-being.
#3 Suspicious Drug Activity
On August 25th, around 4:50am, deputies were patrolling the area of WinCo Foods on South Hill when they observed several suspicious persons and vehicles pulling up to a silver Mercedes parked in the lot. It was clear there was some drug activity going on. A male passenger refused to identify himself with an active investigation of drug distribution and was arrested for obstruction. It was later learned the male had previous convictions of unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and additional warrants in Pierce County. The 45-year-old male was arrested for his warrants and booked into the Pierce County Jail.