They Talked Her Down
By R. STICKNEY and GREG BLEDSOE
Updated 8:09 PM PST, Tue, Oct 20, 2009
The woman who threatened to jump from a pedestrian bridge over Interstate 5 all morning came down on her own and was taken into custody just before 10 a.m.
All lanes of I-5 - northbound and southbound - were reopened as of 10:05 a.m. according to the California Highway Patrol.
A traffic alert was issued just before 2 a.m. when a person was spotted outside of the protective barrier on the pedestrian bridge.
Traffic was at a standstill at I-5 and Pershing Drive for most of the morning commute Tuesday after San Diego police and the CHP shut down all southbound lanes and all but two northbound lanes while the woman walked back and forth across the bridge.
"So, we handled it as quickly as possible realizing all of the issues involved," Capt. Mark Jones with San Diego police."But the primary issue was the safety of the citizens and the safety of this individual."
Some drivers heading north out of the South Bay used Interstate 805 to Interstate 8 to get past the situation. Others tried to use surface streets to get where they needed to be first thing in the morning. Even so, traffic was backed up in all directions.
The woman on top of the bridge was taken into police custody, and then taken for a psychiatric evaluation. She is not facing any criminal charges at this time.
First Published: Oct 20, 2009 6:14 AM PST
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