A man drowned after he jumped into a canal in an attempt to flee authorities Saturday night, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.
Officials said Tyheim Lamar Alexis, 30, attacked his 32-year-old girlfriend in the 7900 block of West Commercial Boulevard in Lauderhill then dragged her across the street when he saw the store clerk call the police and continued to beat her and choke her.
Neighbors in the area called the sheriff’s office to report the suspect but when deputies arrived, the man had fled north into Tamarac, according to Mike Jachles, spokesperson with the BSO.
An area homeowner managed to detain the suspect and grabbed him by his shirt but the suspect slipped out of his shirt and took off, Jachles said.
When deputies found the suspect, he jumped into a canal on NW 58 Court and NW 81 Avenue in Tamarac, the sheriff’s office said.
Authorities said they threw the suspect a flotation device that he refused to take.
The deputies jumped into the water to save the suspect, the sheriff’s office said. The suspect was located by Lauderhill Fire Rescue divers 15 feet under water and taken to University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
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The female victim was taken to Broward General Medical Center with serious head and facial injuries, Jachles said.
“This could have been a result of a domestic violence incident that originated in the Lauderhill side of Commercial Boulevard and carried over into the Tamarac side,” he told NBC 6. “This male and female knew each other, they were likely involved in a relationship at some point.”
The incident remains under investigation by the Lauderhill Police Department and the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
