Atlanta police make arrest in water after fleeing murder suspect jumps in lake
ATLANTA - A murder suspect is headed to jail after police shut down his swimming escape in the Tatum Lake.
On August 25, Atlanta police officers say they noticed a Dodge Charger on the road that had been confirmed as stolen in the city the day prior.
The driver had evaded arrest with several officers on Martin Luther King Blvd., but the Atlanta Police Department's Aviation Unit was still on his trail.
At some point, police say the man got out of the vehicle and ran into the woods along Tatum Lake. As officers continued to pursue him, he jumped into the water where they followed and made the arrest.
"It is not often that we see police officers swim after a fleeing suspect, but when it comes to APD officers, bad guys are on notice that the water escape won’t save them," the City of Atlanta Police Department posted on Facebook on Thursday, Sept. 1.
The suspect was later identified as 21-year-old Jetarvius Q. Thompson. Police say Thompson was wanted in connection to a 2017 murder out of Atlanta.
Thompson was additionally charged with reckless driving, fleeing and eluding, obstruction, theft by receiving stolen vehicle, driving while unlicensed and possession of tools for the commission of a crime.