Advertisement

Man drowns in St. Petersburg apartment complex pool

 
Published Sept. 3, 2012

ST. PETERSBURG — A man drowned in an apartment complex pool on Sunday morning after trying to persuade a witness to make a bet on how long he could swim under water, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.

At 11:15 a.m. police and fire rescue personnel were called to the Brandywine Apartments at 1609 68th St. N in St. Petersburg, where a resident discovered the victim lying at the bottom of the pool and pulled him out. The man was taken to St. Petersburg General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police have yet to identify the man, who was in his 30s, and it was unclear whether he lived in the apartment complex. Though the complex's pools have large signs saying that only authorized guests and residents are allowed in, residents said that people sometimes wander in off the Pinellas Trail, which abuts the property.

A witness told police that earlier in the day, the man had been seen in the pool and had tried to get the witness to place a bet on his underwater swimming endurance. The witness refused and left the pool area.

A police spokesman said there are no indications of foul play. By Sunday afternoon, the pool, which sits behind the complex's main office building, had been drained and the gates were locked.