PORT ANGELES — A 15-year-old boy who threatened to commit suicide by jumping off an Eighth Street bridge ran to the span early Monday afternoon and was stopped from jumping by two officers while he was crying, with his hands gripped the railing, Port Angeles Deputy Police Chief Jason Viada said.
“Every piece of information we have suggests that the boy was just seconds away from actually jumping over when the officer stopped him,” Viada said.
Officers Harold Balderson and Tyler (T. J.) Mueller were dispatched on the suicidal-threat call at about 12:40 p.m. Monday after it was reported the boy had threatened to commit suicide “and was going to the bridges,” Viada said.
The boy left his home near the 100-foot-tall spans and “literally ran away” toward them, Viada said.
First Balderson, then Mueller, found the boy on the sidewalk of the north side of Valley Creek bridge.
“Officers found the boy, midpoint, holding onto the railing and looking over the side,” Viada said.
Balderson was talking with the boy when Mueller arrived, saw the teen was in distress, and tackled him, Viada said.
The boy was taken into custody and driven to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles for a mental health evaluation.
The bridge railings at the Valley Creek and nearby Tumwater Truck Route bridges on Eighth Street are 4-feet, 6-inches high.
Seven people have jumped to their deaths since the spans, which replaced existing bridges, were opened in 2009, including three people in second half of 2017.
The Port Angeles City Council has taken steps to add, this year, temporary suicide barriers on the bridges.
On Jan. 10, a man who had threatened to jump off the Valley Creek bridge was stopped about four blocks from the span, Viada said.
Officer Mike Johnson intercepted the 31-year-0ld man on Cherry Street at 11:55 a.m. that day after the man had threatened to leap from the bridge, Viada said.
He tried to push his way past Johnson before Johnson pinned him to the ground, placed him handcuffs and had him transported to Olympic Medical Center for evaluation, Viada said.
“It’s rare that it actually lines up this way where the officer actually encounters the person heading to the bridge,” Viada said.
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Senior Staff Writer Paul Gottlieb can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at pgottlieb@peninsuladailynews.com.
