Chicago Cop Among First-Responders Who Save Suicidal Man
WBBM's Steve Miller
(CBS) -- Chicago Police officers helped save a man who tried to kill himself Saturday afternoon.
The call came in just after noon, about a man who had jumped the railing along the Montrose Avenue bridge that spans the North Branch of the Chicago River.
Officer Fernando Flores says the man was holding onto the bridge, facing the water and standing on narrow strip of concrete.
Flores says the man said he was upset about his relationship with his girlfriend.
"I said, 'My friend, everything can be fixed,'" the officer says.
"He pulls out a Lifesaver (candy) and I asked him if I could have one. And he said, 'Yeah,' and gave me a Lifesaver," Flores says.
The officer says he was "trying to get a little bit more familiar" with the man and establish a rapport.
"My partners circled around and got behind him. At that point, he just decided to let go."
Officer Flores says he and the other first-responders grabbed the 54-year-old man. Even though he tried to fight them off, they lifted him to safety.
Sunday's incident marked the second time Flores has helped save a despondent person. "All lives matter," he says. "That's all I've got to say."
