Authorities locate firearm in Prospect Lake after man jumps in to escape police

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – Colorado Springs Police say they've successfully located a gun in Prospect Lake after a man running from police jumped into the water and returned to the surface without his firearm on Thursday morning.

The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) said that at around 11:10 a.m. on Jan. 15, an officer driving in the area of East Fountain Boulevard and South Circle Drive spotted two motorcycles traveling westbound. At least one of the motorcycles was a dirt bike, and it did not have a license plate attached.

Police followed the two individuals to Memorial Park, where they were seen getting off their motorcycles and walking to a nearby picnic table.

CSPD said that as officers approached the riders and tried to speak with them, one of them ran back to his dirtbike and attempted to ride away before being ordered off the motorcycle. He then dropped the bike and started to run along the shoreline of Prospect Lake, police say.

While he was running, police noticed the man appeared to have a black semi-automatic handgun in his waistband.

The man then ran about 10 to 20 yards into the lake, squatted, and stood back up before returning to the shore. Police say he did not have the weapon on him anymore.

Believing he may have abandoned the firearm in the water, CSPD called in the Colorado Springs Fire Department's dive team, who assisted with a search for the weapon.

Eventually, crews were able to locate a black Springfield XD-9 9mm handgun, CSPD said.

The suspect, who has not yet been publicly identified, was taken to Memorial Hospital to be treated for hypothermia.

Police say he's since been booked into the El Paso County Jail, and faces charges for possession of a weapon by a previous offender, obstruction, and a traffic violation.

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