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Capt. John Walsh jumped into the lake first with Sunderman following closely behind him, Sunderman said, adding that they \"didn't even think twice.\"

\"As soon as we saw that, our instincts kicked in, our training kicked in,\" he said.

At the hospital, Garay admitted that he is unable to swim but said he went into the lake to avoid being arrested on several warrants, authorities said.

As Sunderman was leaving the hospital, Garay thanked him and the other first responders for saving him.

Garay, who lives in the town of Nokomis -- about 20 miles south of Sarasota -- is unemployed and is still in custody at the Sarasota County jail on $4,500 bond, according to jail records.

He was charged with obstruction without violence and contempt of court for a charge of driving without a license and leaving the scene of an accident for damage greater than $50 without leaving his information, jail records show.

\"PHOTO:
Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office
PHOTO: Richard Garay in an undated photo.
>

In a statement, Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight commended the deputies for acting \"quickly and selflessly to render aid to someone who has a complete disregard for law enforcement.\"

\"Unfortunately incidents like this happen all too often but this is what we train for,\" Knight said.

Sunderman described the rescue as \"just another day on the job.\"

\"No matter what, if you are a criminal, if you are in distress we are going to save you,\" Sunderman said. \"We are going to save your life -- it doesn't matter. It’s what we are trained to do. It’s part of the job.\"

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