Man who tried to drown himself in pool suing officers, lifeguard who saved him
A man who reportedly suffered a bipolar episode and tried to drown himself in a pool is suing the police officers and lifeguard who pulled him out of the water.
The lawsuit filed Friday by 23-year-old Mateusz Fijalkowski says he was left underwater for more than two minutes. He says eight police officers watched and stopped a lifeguard from jumping in to save him.
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“The police allowed me to sink before their eyes,” Fijalkowski said in an email to the . “I’m glad that in the end they realized that they shouldn’t let me drown, but I don’t thank them for letting me die, clinically, before their eyes.”
When he was finally pulled out of the pool, he was not breathing and had no pulse. Officers performed CPR for several minutes before medics arrived and revived Fijalkowski with a defibrillator.
Fairfax County Police Department says officers acted appropriately to save Fijalkowski and protect themselves and the lifeguard from a disturbed person.
“They saved his life — he did not die,” Fairfax County Police Chief Edwin C. Roessler Jr. said. “You’re going to sue someone for saving your life?”
Roessler insists that had they offered him help sooner, they may have been dragged under themselves.
Police were called to the pool on the day of the incident because Fijalkowski had been acting strangely. He had reportedly been arguing with guests and speaking to himself. When officers arrived, Fijalkowski ignored them and shouted. Twice he threw his phone into the pool and retrieved it.
The third time he entered the water, he walked into the deep end and held himself down with two vents at the bottom of the pool.
Fijalkowski says he’s suing because the 2016 incident left him with more than $100,000 in medical bills.
At the time of the incident, Fijalkowski says he had never suffered any mental health episodes. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.