A man threatened to jump from an interstate sign on the Courtland Street bridge over the I-75/I-85 connector southbound, forcing officials to block all lanes for more than two hours early Wednesday in Atlanta.
The incident started around 3 a.m., and Atlanta police negotiators spent about two hours and 30 minutes trying to convince the man not to jump before he climbed to safety and was arrested at 5:30 a.m.
“When we responded, he was over the sign, the highway sign, and he had a rope tied around his neck,” Atlanta police Capt. Celeste Murphy said. “So immediately we got emergency services to come.”
Firefighters laid a cushion about 25 feet wide and 25 feet long underneath the man.
Police said he expressed feelings of depression, but negotiators were able to determine what the man wanted and reasoned with him.
He ended up walking off the bridge himself, Murphy said.
Lanes have since reopened.
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