JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigators said a man drowned in a retention pond on Jacksonville’s Westside Tuesday morning after breaking into cars at a car dealership.

JSO Lieutenant Marc Musser told First Coast News that around 3:15 a.m., patrol officers responded to the Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram dealership on Commonwealth Avenue in reference to the man the sheriff’s office said was breaking into vehicles.

When an officer arrived, they made contact with the man, in which “multiple commands” were given to him to “surrender.”

“The individual refused to comply,” Musser said. “The officer attempted to deploy his taser; however, it appears the suspect at the time was wearing a large coat, and it doesn’t appear the probes made contact and had any effect.”

A chase then ensued, as the man ran away, according to Musser. The lieutenant said the man ran a short distance, jumped a fence, then went into a retention pond.

“The suspect was then not seen coming back up out of the water,” Musser said. “Officers did attempt to throw in some floatation devices to attempt to aid the suspect; however, they were not able to see him again once he went below the water.

Musser said JSO’s dive team responded and found the man dead at the bottom of the pond.

“He has since been recovered and has been taken to the Medical Examiner’s Office,” Musser said. “That’s what we have at this point.”

Musser said they didn’t know if the man did not know how to swim or if he got stuck to something in the pond.

First Coast News Crime and Safety Expert Ken Jefferson said officers do not have to endanger themselves by going into water to try to apprehend someone after they committed a crime.

“He’s trying to get away from law enforcement to avoid going to jail, so it’s not the responsibility of the law enforcement officer to dive in and try to get him out of that pond,” Jefferson said. “The officer has to weigh the factors: is it a danger more to the officer or to the other person?”

JSO said knowing how to swim is not a requirement to be employed by them.

They have not identified the man who drowned.