Attempted Suicide Thwarted By Sheriff’s Deputies On Reserve Street Bridge
The Missoula County Sheriff's Office issued the following press release on Saturday afternoon.
At approximately 1:40 p.m. on Saturday, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office deputies made contact with a 36-year-old male from Idaho who was having a mental health episode.
The male was on top of the Reserve Street overpass on Interstate 90 and threatening to jump. Deputies were able to block and divert traffic with the assistance of Montana Highway Patrol and the Missoula Police Department.
Deputies began negotiating with the male in hopes of talking him down. During that time, a negotiation team was able to devise a plan, utilizing a distractionary device, which resulted in the male being safely taken into custody.
The male was then transported to St. Patrick Hospital for a mental health evaluation.
Deputies were also able to make contact with the man’s family, who are now en-route to Missoula to assist the individual.
The man’s name has not been released. No one was injured during the incident.
Recently, the Missoula County Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement agencies underwent mental health crisis intervention training, which has been utilized several times in successfully stopping suicides.