Few people celebrated National Suicide Prevention Month in September the way two officers from the Blue Island, Illinois, Metra Police Department did.
On September 15, Sergeant Will Wright and Officer Andrea Clunie saved a man from himself by rescuing him from a bridge. After a day of construction near the 127th Street Metra rail yard, it began around 5:30 p.m. Due to the fact that there were still employees present, they were able to identify and report a man engaging in questionable behavior.
At the two “Road Closed” signs a white Honda Accord drove up to the construction area. While employees waved and attempted to reason with him, he persisted. Getting out of the car and walking toward the bridge was the only option when the vehicle became stuck and couldn’t go any further.
Officer Clunie and Sergeant Wright arrived in a flash. Handcuffs can be seen being applied in the video footage captured by the officers’ body cameras as they approach the suspect. However, when the officer told him to turn around, he took it as an opportunity to do what he came for:
He was arrested and taken to the Ingalls Hospital for examination. Metra Police Department’s Captain Michael O’Neill thanked the two officers stating:
“An officer gave a good description. The officers located him on the bridge. He was obviously having mental and emotional issues. They tried to get him away, when he tried to go over, they grabbed him, pulled him back.We got him transported. He is still currently hospitalized, but that’s for his own safety.”
He added: “Thankfully, our officers were able to recognize that he was displaying signs that he was having that emotional crisis, and they were able to kind of deescalate the situation even though the subject did attempt to take his own life. They were able to get him under control, get him the help he needed.”
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