Traffic on the 91 Freeway was halted on Wednesday while negotiators tried to talk down a distraught man who threatened to jump off the overpass.
Around 9 p.m., Riverside police officers responded to the Jackson Street overpass to the 91 Freeway for a distraught man threatening to jump. When officers arrived, they found the man straddling the bridge fence. Officers tried to coerce the man down, but he did not respond.
The California Highway Patrol stopped all traffic on the freeway and Emergency Negotiations Team (ENT) officers were summoned to assist. After approximately two hours of communications, ENT officers were able to convince the man to climb down to safety. The man will be taken to a mental health facility for evaluation and treatment.
