HOUSTON -- A man running from law enforcement officials drowned after he jumped into a bayou, KPRC Local 2 reported.

Harris County sheriff's deputies said the man was posing as a parking attendant at a lot on Travis Street near Franklin Street. He collected $5 from parking drivers.

A deputy went to investigate after a citizen flagged him down at about 6 p.m.

Officials said the man pushed the deputy and the two began to fight. Detectives said the deputy shocked the man with a Taser gun, but it was not enough to subdue him.

The man took off on foot and the deputy and a METRO police officer chased after him.

"I looked over to my left and I see this guy running," witness Jose Salgado said. "I looked behind him and there's two cops running and he's just sprinting away."

Salgado used his cellular phone to catch part of the chase near the University of Houston Downtown.

"He stopped, started walking and then disappeared underneath the bridge."

Detectives said the man jumped into White Oak Bayou underneath the Main Street bridge.

The METRO officer, who said he was not a good swimmer, tried to save the man when it became evident that he was drowning.

"They look at a narrow stream and they think it's shallow," Lt. John Denholm said. "Narrow does not equate to shallow."

A dive team recovered the man's body just before 9 p.m.

The man's identity was not released. Investigators said his record showed he had been charged with evading arrest three times and resisting arrest once.