Fugitive armed kidnapper dies after jumping into lake trying to escape police, cops say
An alleged fugitive kidnapper died Wednesday after trying to evade authorities by jumping into a Broward lake. He and other wanted suspects beat, robbed and kidnapped two juveniles the day before Valentine’s Day, Fort Lauderdale police said.
Around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday, police said, the fugitive, who was not named, was tracked by Fort Lauderdale police and the U.S. Marshals Task Force to the 10700 block of West Clairmont Circle in Tamarac.
Thinking he was being trailed, the man ran to a nearby lake and jumped in the water, police said. Officers did not follow, saying the conditions were unsafe. A dive team went out into the lake, where he was later found.
He was taken to a hospital and pronounced dead, police said
Details were limited on how the kidnapping occurred, but police are looking for other suspects. As of Wednesday, the number of suspects, the ages of the juveniles and the reason behind the kidnapping were not clear.
The two juveniles were forced by gunpoint into separate cars used by the suspects around 7 p.m. Feb. 13 in the 2000 block of Northwest 14th Avenue, police said.
They were beaten and robbed by the group of suspects. Shortly thereafter, they were removed from the cars, police said.
The juveniles were taken to Broward Health Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Fort Lauderdale police said the investigation is ongoing, as detectives are following leads. For now, police are limiting the information released to avoid potentially compromising the case.
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 5:49 PM.
%20Cropped%20(2).jpg)