A teenage fugitive who attempted to evade capture by jumping into a lake had to be rescued by sheriffs who promptly arrested him.

Richard Garay later admitted the he is unable to swim, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office in Florida said.

The 18-year-old subject of several arrest warrants, ran away from deputies who were responding to reports of suspicious activity in the east of the city.

Attempting to evade capture and seemingly unaware that he was being filmed by an aviation unit, he dived into the lake in a bid to avoid capture.

As he struggled in the water, deputies tossed him a rope, before one of them dived in and pulled him to safety.