Suspect swims close to shark during escape attempt in Surf City

SURF CITY, N.C. — Authorities in Surf City, North Carolina, say a fleeing suspect swam out to sea before being arrested more than three hours later at a neighboring town's beachfront.

Surf City police said in a news release that an officer stopped a driver Wednesday and spotted "illegal contraband."

They said the driver jumped into the ocean and police used a drone to follow the swimming suspect. It recorded video footage of a shark swimming about 60 feet from him before it turned away.

The drone lost sight of him after an hour, more than 4,000 feet offshore.

After a sea and air search by multiple agencies, 20-year-old Zachary Kingsbury of Lynnwood, Washington was arrested near a beach access point in North Topsail.

He said jumped into the ocean because he was scared of getting in trouble.

"They told me there were a couple sharks circling me, but I didn't see any sharks when I was in the water, so I was not aware of that at the time," Kingsbury said.

He faces multiple drug charges.