A shirtless Florida man turned a welfare check into a dangerous water rescue and arrest after running from deputies, jumping into a canal known to contain alligators and snakes, and allegedly fighting the officers who entered the water to save him.
Body-camera footage posted by the New York Post shows Flagler County deputies following 47-year-old Ryan McMinn along the canal in Palm Coast on July 3, repeatedly encouraging him to come ashore as he continued swimming away and began showing signs of exhaustion.
“We’re not going to stop following you down the canal,” one deputy told him. “So, it’s in your best interest just to come out with us. You’re not in trouble.”
McMinn did not follow the instructions, and the encounter eventually forced two deputies to enter the murky water, where authorities said he resisted their efforts and tried to grab them before being brought safely to shore.
Welfare Check Begins Near an Elementary School
The incident began when Flagler County Sheriff’s Office deputies found McMinn lying shirtless on the ground near Wadsworth Elementary School.
Authorities said he had previously been the subject of another welfare check, but he ran away when deputies attempted to speak with him.
A short time later, someone reported seeing a man trying to climb along the side of a home in Palm Coast. When deputies arrived in that area, they located McMinn near a canal behind the property.
He again fled, this time entering the water and swimming away from officers.
That decision immediately made the situation more dangerous, because the canal was not a controlled swimming area and was known to contain snakes and alligators. Even without the wildlife risk, a tired or distressed person in deep water can become difficult to rescue within seconds.
Deputies Follow Him Along the Canal
The New York Post footage shows McMinn moving backward through the canal while deputies walk along the bank and try to establish communication.
“Sir, what’s your name?” an officer asked.
The deputies appeared to recognize that he was tiring and repeatedly tried to persuade him to stop before the situation became an emergency.
“You getting tired?” one asked. “We’re here to help, sir.”
Another officer called him by name and urged him to move toward them.
“Come on, Ryan,” the deputy said. “Where you going?”
The officers’ language remained calm during much of the pursuit, with one telling McMinn that he was not in trouble and that continuing to swim would not cause them to leave.
Their approach suggests that the immediate goal was to get him out of the canal safely rather than rush into a confrontation. The longer he remained in the water, however, the greater the chance that exhaustion, panic, or an animal encounter could turn the welfare check into a fatal incident.
Officers Enter the Water as He Tires
As McMinn’s movements slowed, deputies concluded that they could no longer safely wait from the bank.
The footage shows officers entering the canal and moving toward him while continuing to issue instructions.
What followed was difficult to see clearly because much of the struggle occurred at water level, but deputies can be heard trying to control both of his hands.
“Stop. It’s over,” one officer said as they worked to restrain him.
Authorities said McMinn attempted to grab one deputy’s head and push it beneath the water before reaching toward the neck of another officer.
Fighting in water creates unusual risks for everyone involved, because an officer who loses balance or control can be submerged while carrying heavy equipment. A suspect can also drown during the struggle, even if the original intention was only to resist arrest.
The deputies eventually gained control of McMinn, secured his hands, and guided him toward shore.
Rescue Ends With Medical Care and Arrest
After pulling McMinn from the canal, officers requested medical assistance.
The footage ends with deputies helping him stand and checking his condition before calling for emergency responders.
McMinn was taken to a hospital before being booked into jail on two counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, according to authorities.
The charges were tied to his alleged actions during the struggle in the canal rather than simply his refusal to come out of the water.
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly praised the deputies for entering the canal despite the risks posed by the wildlife and McMinn’s resistance.
“These deputies went into the water to rescue this guy, and he responded by fighting them,” Staly said.
The sheriff added that the officers were willing to enter an area that commonly contains alligators and snakes because they believed McMinn could drown if they did not intervene.
A Dangerous Situation Created by Repeated Flight
The footage is unusual because the officers were not initially chasing an armed robbery suspect or responding to an immediate violent crime.
They were trying to conduct a welfare check.
McMinn’s repeated decisions to run, enter the canal, ignore instructions, and then allegedly fight the deputies transformed what might have been a short conversation into a hazardous rescue involving several possible ways for someone to be seriously injured.
The officers faced the risk of drowning, animal attacks, and physical assault, while McMinn was visibly becoming more tired the farther he moved through the water.
It is also worth noting that entering the canal was not the easy or safe option for deputies. Remaining on shore would have protected them personally, but it could have left McMinn unable to stay afloat.
Their decision to go in reflected the difficult balance officers face when a person refuses help but may no longer be capable of protecting himself.
Footage Shows the Limits of Verbal De-Escalation
Throughout the video, deputies repeatedly used McMinn’s name, assured him that they were trying to help, and explained that they would continue following him.
Those efforts did not bring him ashore.
Verbal de-escalation can be effective, but it depends on the person being willing or able to process what officers are saying. When someone continues moving deeper into danger and begins losing strength, police may eventually have to act physically even if that creates another layer of risk.
In this case, the rescue ended without anyone drowning or being attacked by wildlife, and deputies were able to bring McMinn out alive.
The outcome could easily have been worse. A struggle in a canal known for snakes and alligators is dangerous under any circumstances, especially when one person is exhausted and two officers are trying to restrain him while keeping everyone above water.
What began with a shirtless man near an elementary school ended with a hospital visit, two felony allegations, and deputies entering a canal they had every reason to avoid. The footage shows how quickly a welfare call can escalate when a person refuses repeated opportunities to stop and accept help.
Raised in a small Arizona town, Kevin grew up surrounded by rugged desert landscapes and a family of hunters. His background in competitive shooting and firearms training has made him an authority on self-defense and gun safety. A certified firearms instructor, Kevin teaches others how to properly handle and maintain their weapons, whether for hunting, home defense, or survival situations. His writing focuses on responsible gun ownership, marksmanship, and the role of firearms in personal preparedness.
