68-year-old man drowns in Tacoma lagoon after being sucked into drain pipe

A man who drowned earlier this week in a Tacoma lagoon has been identified as 68-year-old Robert Logan Junior of University Place.

A witness talked with KIRO 7 about what she saw just before the drowning.

Trista Lucas says she was fishing at Titlow Beach Monday evening when she saw two men nearby.

She says one was pushing the other, who was on a lounge float. When he got off, something went wrong.

“The next thing I heard is, ‘I can’t see him; I don’t see him.’ His friend was just crying, he was very upset,” said Lucas.

The man suddenly disappeared into the water.

Authorities say he likely got caught in a whirlpool and was sucked into a culvert, which runs under rail tracks and drains into the lagoon on the other side.

Lucas says she and others continued to look for the man until fire crews arrived.

“I gave them my binoculars, and somebody had said, ‘I think I see something floating,’ and so they saw him, and we all just ran,” said Lucas.

In the lagoon, crews spotted Logan, pulled him out, and performed CPR.

Logan was rushed to the hospital, where he later died.

“It’s just tragic that this happened. I mean he was just out floating around and then the next thing you know he’s sucked in. The vortex is pretty powerful,” said Lisa Roberts, who lives nearby.

Metro Parks Tacoma released a statement, saying “There is signage and fencing on the lagoon side. Conversations are ongoing with our government partners to assess signage needs on the beach side and other safety measures.”

“If it’s always there, it should be posted, you know, to stay away because anybody can get sucked right into it and it’s just scary, it’s really scary,” said Lucas.