Police prevent two suicides in one day
Police prevented two people from killing themselves on Monday, Dec. 9.
A little before 1:30 p.m., police were called to a report of a woman on a ramp off of Interstate 435 over 71 Highway in the Grandview Triangle/Three Trails Crossing. She was out of her vehicle and looked like she wanted to jump. When the first officers arrived to the ramp, the 51-year-old woman started to put her leg up on the ledge and stared into the traffic below. She took her leg on and off but appeared more willing to jump the closer officers got.
Police backed away, shut down the highways surrounding the woman and dispatched a member of the Department’s Crisis/Hostage Negotiation Team. The negotiator, a sergeant, began speaking with the woman, who said she was experiencing financial difficulties. He was able to coax her away from the ledge by offering her hand-warmers. This allowed officers to take her into custody so she could be transported to a hospital for mental health treatment.
Then at about 6:15 p.m., officers got called to another suicidal person at 75th and Pennsylvania. The man was belligerent, repeatedly yelling for officers to kill him. He refused officers’ verbal commands, and then he started to reach into a bag. Fearing he might pull out a weapon, one officer tried to use his Taser, but it did not appear to strike the suicidal man. With the man continuing to state he wanted to commit suicide by cop and reaching in his bag, another officer grabbed him and safely got him into custody. He also was transported to a hospital for mental health treatment.
No one was injured in either incident.