A man who was shoplifting at Dadeland Mall drowned in a nearby canal as he was trying to run from an officer Saturday evening, according to police.
An off-duty officer at the mall was notified by security that the man had shoplifted an unknown item, so the officer began to approach the suspect, who was unidentified, police said. That's when the suspect began to run, fleeing northbound towards a canal at Southwest 73rd Avenue and 85th Street, according to authorities.
The man jumped into the canal and did not surface, police said. Fire rescue was able to retrieve the body from the canal and transport it to a local hospital, where the man was pronounced dead.
No further information was immediately available.
