Editor’s note: If you or someone you know is struggling or having thoughts of suicide, you are not alone — and help is always available. Call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to connect with a trained counselor, or chat online at 988lifeline.org. Whether you’re seeking support for yourself or someone you care about, please know that it’s never too late to reach out. You deserve help. You deserve hope. Someone is ready to listen.
By Jackie Smith
mlive.com
WARREN, Mich. — Police have released video of officers intervening in a suicide attempt on an Interstate 696 overpass Easter Sunday in Metro Detroit.
The Warren Police Dispatch Center reportedly received multiple calls at around 6:55 p.m. April 20 about an individual scaling the barrier on the overpass at the Groesbeck interchange near 11 Mile Road, indicating they appeared to be preparing to jump on to I-696.
According to a post on the department’s Facebook Thursday, May 1, several Warren police officers quickly responded, arriving to find a 32-year-old man on top of the safety fence.
A video shared Thursday first includes part of a 911 report of a “guy on the fence” from a caller driving by. Body camera footage then shows police pulling up and immediately engaging with the individual, who tells officers, “I’m done.”
Officers repeatedly encourage the man to talk to them with one adding, “We can figure this out together, all right? We’ve all been through something,” as officers from a second patrol car arrive.
“I will help you get through this,” an officer says.
Additional footage in the two-minute, 45-second collection of clips shows officers up on the fence reaching for the man as he began to slide down the expressway side of the fence. Officers worked to pull the man over the fence and catch him, bringing him safely back to the ground.
Police said on Thursday that the man was taken to an area hospital for a mental health evaluation at the time.
In its post, the Warrant Police Department credited de-escalation techniques, emotional intelligence and teamwork in resolving the issue.
“The dedication of each member of this department to serving the Warren community is noticeable in everything we do,” the department wrote. “In this instance, the collective knowledge and decisive actions of these officers culminated in a life saved on Easter Sunday.”
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