He fled police, swam across Capitol Lake and turned himself in

A 30-year-old Olympia man led police on an interesting pursuit over the weekend — one that ultimately ended with the man turning himself in to police at City Hall.

But that was after he swam across Capitol Lake, according to police.

The man has been booked into the Thurston County Jail on suspicion of several charges, including eluding a police vehicle and reckless driving.

Downtown Olympia’s walking patrol first witnessed the reckless driving about 1:50 a.m. Saturday in the area of Fourth Avenue and Washington Street Southeast, Lt. Paul Lower said.

Members of the patrol tried to get the driver to stop, then alerted a patrol vehicle in the area, which pursued the man south on Deschutes Parkway. They later found the man’s vehicle near the Capitol Lake interpretive center and discovered he had jumped into the lake and started to swim.

Unsure if the man would survive the cold water, police called the Thurston County dive team, Lower said. Police also began to check vehicle information which allowed them to identify people related to the 30-year-old suspect.

After police called family members, the family members called their fleeing relative. Lower thinks family pressure resulted in the man turning himself in. He showed up at City Hall at 5:20 a.m. Saturday, Lower said.

This story was originally published March 25, 2019 at 2:17 PM.