PANAMA CITY — A foot pursuit turned amphibious for a Panama City man after police attempted a routine traffic stop, officials said Tuesday.
Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on Ronald Gene Burton Jr., 37, because he failed to stop at a stop sign on Everitt Avenue Monday night. When police activated their emergency lights and siren, Burton immediately sped off, leading officers on a pursuit that ended in front of a residence on North James Avenue.
Burton stopped the vehicle and ran behind the residence. But as officers closed in on Burton, he jumped into Watson Bayou and attempted to swim away. He swam around for a few minutes before exiting the water and was taken into custody without further incident.
Burton was transported to the Bay County Jail and charged with fleeing or eluding a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest without violence, operating a motor vehicle while license suspended or revoked and violation of probation.