A 26-year-old Missouri man abandoned his still-moving car, sprinted across a bridge, and dove headfirst into Table Rock Lake to escape Stone County deputies, and now sits in jail without bond facing felony charges.
Gavin Thor Lundgren of Kimberling City led deputies on a vehicle pursuit in the early morning hours of July 18 after they clocked his 2004 Chevrolet Malibu doing nearly 75 mph in a 45-mph zone, Fox News Digital reported. Deputies attempted to pull him over around 1:50 a.m. Lundgren did not stop.
Instead, he fled in the Malibu, then bailed out of the car while it was still rolling. He ran across a two-lane bridge over Table Rock Lake, a popular recreation spot in southwest Missouri's Ozark country, and launched himself headfirst off the span into the water below.
The Stone County Sheriff's Office released video of the incident and acknowledged the sheer recklessness of the stunt.
"This was definitely a first and luckily he survived the fall."
The sheriff's office did not specify the bridge's height above the water, and it remains unclear what injuries, if any, Lundgren suffered from the dive itself.
Surviving the plunge did not end Lundgren's resistance. Deputies took him into custody after a struggle in which he headbutted two of them, the sheriff's office said. Three deputies total suffered injuries, facial bruising, cuts to hands, elbows, and forearms, and abrasions.
The sheriff's office described the injuries as minor but made clear the encounter was far from routine.
"He resisted arrest and deputies suffered minor injuries taking him into custody."
A probable cause statement cited by local station KOLR confirmed the speed and timing details: Lundgren's Malibu was traveling nearly 75 mph in a 45-mph zone when deputies first spotted him shortly before 2 a.m.
Prosecutors hit Lundgren with six charges across four categories: three counts of third-degree assault on a special victim, a charge that applies when the victim is a law enforcement officer, plus resisting arrest for a felony, resisting arrest by fleeing, and careless driving.
He is being held without bond in the Stone County Jail. No plea or public statement from Lundgren has been reported. Whether he had any prior criminal record or what prompted him to run beyond the speeding stop remains unanswered.
Three deputies went home bruised and cut. Lundgren went to a jail cell. That is the math when you choose a headfirst dive off a bridge over pulling to the shoulder, the lake does not care about your escape plan, and neither does the booking desk.
