After a homeless man who escaped their custody and swam about 40 yards into the Tempe Town Lake began struggling to stay afloat, one of the Tempe police officers said, “I’m not jumping in,” NBC News reports.

Thirty-four year-old Sean Bickings pleaded with officers for help, telling them repeatedly, “I’m drowning!  I’m drowning!”  Three officers, called to the scene for a fight between a man and a woman at the park, stood by and taunted him, saying things like, “So what’s your plan now?”

Tempe police stopped Bickings and his female companion after getting a report about a couple arguing in the park.  When the pair, who were calm and cooperative with police, were told by an officer they were running their identifications to see if they had outstanding warrants, Bickings jumped over a four-foot fence and into the lake, which is the city’s reservoir. 

The police department defended the actions of the officers, saying they followed procedure and called the police boat that roams the lake.  The police union released a statement, claiming none of the officers were trained in water rescue and that a rescue attempt could have led to the injury or death of one of the officers.

“Attempting such a high-risk rescue could easily result in the death of the person in the water and the officer, who could be pulled down by a struggling adult,” the union said in a statement. “Officers are trained to call the Fire Department … or get the Tempe Police boat. That is what officers did here.”