Authorities rescue distraught man after he jumped into Bellagio lake

courtesy of Twitter user @missnighthawk

Officials rescued a man from the lake surrounding the Bellagio fountains tonight after he initially refused to leave the water.

Police were called about 9:10 p.m. to the scene, where the man reportedly jumped into the water, Metro Police Officer Troy Barrett said.

The man was distraught and refused to leave the water, Barrett said. Police worked with the Clark County Fire Department and resort security to get him out.

He was taken into custody without further incident and will either be arrested or held for mental health evaluations based on an investigation, Barrett said.

The 8.5-acre artificial lake has an average depth of 8 feet, but the water is about 13 feet deep near the fountain jets.

The water is about 4 feet deep along the Las Vegas Boulevard side of the lake.

The lake holds 22 million gallons of water.