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Unresponsive 6-year-old boy pulled from Tacoma lake while swimming with family Thursday

A “no swimming” sign is seen at Wapato Lake.
A “no swimming” sign is seen at Wapato Lake.

A 6-year-old boy was found unresponsive while swimming with his family at Wapato Lake on Thursday.

The child was pulled out of the lake in the 6800 block of South Cushman Avenue at about 3:30 p.m. and it is unknown how long he had been under the water, Tacoma Police Department spokesman detective William Muse told The News Tribune.

Muse did not immediately have an update on the child’s condition Friday morning.

Tacoma police were dispatched to the scene and began CPR on the child. Tacoma Fire personnel continued life-saving efforts. The child was taken to the hospital, Muse said.

This is not the first time this year that someone suffered an emergency in the lake.

Four months ago, Tacoma police officer Steve O’Neal and his colleagues rescued a 15-year-old girl who was submerged several feet in Wapato Lake. She was taken to a local hospital and was in stable condition, The News Tribune reported at the time.

O’Neal said that people used to be able to swim in the lake, but now it is not a safe area to do that.

The Metro Parks Tacoma website says swimming there is not safe, because the lake has a nutrient that grows toxic algae.

Further information was not immediately available. Check back for updates.

This story was originally published July 19, 2024 at 11:30 AM.

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Puneet Bsanti
The News Tribune
Puneet Bsanti is the East Pierce County Reporter for The News Tribune. She started with the newspaper in 2023 as the breaking news reporter. After she graduated from Washington State University, she was an intern for the Bellingham Herald. Her work in breaking news was recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists in 2022. Support my work with a digital subscription
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