It happened around 4:30 a.m. in the 100 block of Sabine Street.
Officers spotted the man trying to steal tires off trucks near downtown Houston when he drove off, according to Houston police. A short chase ended when the man crashed near the Sabine Street bridge that crosses the bayou.
The man jumped into the bayou and tried to swim away from officers before developing what they believed to be hypothermia while navigating the chilly waters, police said. Officers threw him a rope to help him out of the bayou and took him into custody.