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Handcuffed man drowns after bolting from police, jumping into Florida bay

Authorities ID man as Donnie Brownlow Jr., 33.

File photo. (WDIV)

TREASURE ISLAND, Fla. – A handcuffed Florida man died after bolting from police custody and jumping into Boca Ciega Bay, where he drowned, authorities said.

Treasure Island police arrested Donnie Brownlow Jr., 33, after responding to a domestic disturbance Sunday evening around 7:40 p.m., the Tampa Bay Times reported. He was in custody on charges of domestic battery, obstruction, felony driving while license suspended and violation of probation.

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An officer was escorting Brownlow to a van that would bring him to jail when he made a run for it, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Paramedics from the Treasure Island Fire Department pulled Brownlow from the water and performed CPR. Brownlow was brought to the Palms of Pasadena Hospital, where he died around 9:40 p.m.


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