'I'm not jumping in after you': Drowning man ignored by cops as he begged for help and died in front of them, just days after police rescued a dog in same lake, lawsuit says

An Arizona parent has agreed to settee a lawsuit with the metropolis of Tempe that accused constabulary of ignoring her son's cries for assistance arsenic helium drowned successful beforehand of them. One serviceman allegedly told the 34-year-old, "I'm not jumping successful aft you," close earlier helium went under, according to constabulary transcripts and assemblage camera footage.

"I'm gonna drown!" Sean Bickings shouted arsenic helium struggled to enactment afloat successful Tempe Town Lake connected May 28, 2022, according to his mother's ineligible complaint, obtained by Law&Crime.

"No you're not," an serviceman allegedly yelled back.

"Yes I am!" Bickings replied.

"[Another officer] with nary evident urgency, told decedent Bickings to aquatics to a pylon," the ailment recounted. "When decedent Bickings gasped retired that helium could not bash that, [the officer] responded, 'Okay. I'm not jumping successful aft you.'"

Court records amusement that the city of Tempe agreed to wage $150,000 connected Monday to settee the wrongful decease suit filed by Bickings' parent successful May 2023. Her ailment accused 2 constabulary officers who witnessed the drowning of not lone ignoring Bickings' cries but besides restraining and handcuffing his woman erstwhile she attempted to prevention him. Bickings jumped into the water during an brushwood with police.

"The transcripts and unreleased [bodycam] footage … seizure the suspect Tempe constabulary officers detaining decedent Bickings' partner, the lone idiosyncratic connected the country displaying remotely immoderate interest for decedent Bickings' life," the ailment said. "When decedent Bickings' spouse attempted to rescue him, she was physically restrained by [the officers] and handcuffed … She begged the suspect Tempe constabulary officers to assistance decedent Bickings arsenic she sat determination helplessly handcuffed."

According to the constabulary transcript and assemblage camera footage, 1 of the officers allegedly told Bickings' girlfriend, "You request to chill out." She responded by saying "I emotion him" and "please halt being truthful aggressive," per the complaint.

"He is each I got," the pistillate said. "I can't suffer him. He's going to die."

As this was each unfolding, Bickings continued to plead for idiosyncratic to assistance him oregon bash thing to halt him from drowning, according to the complaint. "Please assistance me! Please! Please! Please!…I can't touch," Bickings allegedly shouted. "Oh God. Please assistance me! Help me!"

The officers astatine the country ne'er attempted to rescue Bickings "in immoderate form," the ailment charged. He went nether soon after and drowned.

Meanwhile, 11 days earlier, officers had nary occupation rescuing a canine from the lake, according to the complaint. "Bodycam footage shows … 2 officers holding onto a bully Samaritan connected the banks of the canal, unconcerned with their proximity to the assemblage of water," the ailment said. "The suspect Tempe constabulary officers helped to rescue a canine contempt the hazard of being pulled into the canal themselves. Those Officers were consenting to face that hazard for a canine connected May 17, 2022; but, connected May 28, 2022, the progressive suspect Tempe constabulary officers did not adjacent locomotion to the slope of the Tempe Town Lake portion a quality being drowned to decease successful beforehand of them."

Local officials released a connection aft Bickings drowned, saying they would instrumentality changes to amended their h2o rescue response. The metropolis confirmed the colony to Law&Crime connected Thursday successful a statement, saying, "We anticipation the closure of this litigation brings comfortableness to those who mourn his loss."