Arizona cops refused to help a man flailing desperately in a lake, instead watching as he drowned, according to new video, the New York Daily News reports. The 12-minute clip shows Sean Bickings and his wife talking to officers near the Tempe City of the Arts and the Tempe Town Lake. The woman claims the two got in an argument, but that “he didn’t do anything wrong.” Bickings gets up and walks over to the railing, tells the officers he’s “going for a swim” and jumps in. One officer calls for a boat while another keeps an eye on the swimmer.
“So what’s your plan right now?” an officer asked. "I’m going to drown. I’m going to drown,” Bickings replied. An officer told the man to swim to a pylon, and Bickings told him he “can’t.” “OK, I’m not jumping in after you,” the officer said. The woman pleaded with officers to help as they threaten to “put you in my car” if she didn’t calm down. “I’m just distraught because he’s drowning right in front of you and you won’t help,” she said. Bickings’ body was pulled from the lake by a team and he was pronounced dead Saturday. Officials said Bickings was evading arrest under existing warrants. It was unclear if the officers who stood by while Bickings died will face any consequences or if that was department protocol.