[VIDEO] LAPD Save Man From Suicide Jump by Handcuffing Him to Downtown Apartment Building
This post has been edited at the request of the suicidal man's friends, who believed its insensitivity "further endangered" him.
YouTube
A 30-something man tried to commit suicide off a downtown L.A. apartment building, towering over the 100th block of East 7th Street, on Thursday evening. And we might be reporting the incident as a tragic death today, if not for one security guard-turned-Dr. Phil, a gaggle of resourceful LAPD officers and a firetruck full of seriously cool firetruck tools.
We'd also like to thank whoever climbed to the top of the building to capture a close-up of the rescue:
"The security guard that talked him into not jumping when no one was there at first is a hero," writes the uploader. "As well as the polise [stet] that grabbed him and held on to him till the fireman arrived to cut the mental fence down and finally pull him to safety..."
The Los Angeles Times reports that after LAPD responders (one of whom suffered a bite to the arm) handcuffed the man to the railing and pulled him up onto the concrete ledge, "firefighters eventually cut the metal railing, removing it and the man."
Phew. Glad that's over.
Update: LAPD Lieutenant Paul Vernon confirms the alleged arm biting in a press release:
"The most amazing thing about this is the officers' commitment to saving this man in the face of danger to their own lives. What you don't see is the man actually biting the arm of Officer Rick Linton, who in spite of the pain and the insult, continues to hold on to the man."
[@simone_electra/swilson@laweekly.com]
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