Man With Pistol, Kitchen Knife Pulled To Safety After Dangling From Antioch Bridge
ANTIOCH (CBS SF) -- A man was safely in police custody after officers tried for more than two hours to pull him safely from the Antioch Bridge Tuesday, at times struggling with the man as he dangled by a single arm 135 feet above the water.
The incident started when the man, allegedly carrying a pistol and kitchen knife, brought traffic to a stand still when he got out of his car at 7:37 a.m.
"We had reports that someone had stopped their vehicle in the northbound lane and had walked over to the railing, then we had other reports that there was somebody with a gun or a knife," CHP Officer John Fransen said. "Obviously we take those concerns very seriously."
The bridge was completely shut in both directions around 8 a.m. as officers blocked both ends in an effort to remove the unidentified man. The bridge was reopened to traffic by 10:10 a.m. after the man was in custody.
Chopper 5 video captured the shirtless man seeming to taunt police and jog up and down the roadway. Eventually he climbed over the barrier and yelled to officers while apparently threatening to jump into the Delta. While remaining on the outside of the barrier, he eventually approached a group of about a dozen officers and a squad car. After minutes of conversation, officers tried to pull the man to safety. Here's what the scene looked like as he fought off officers while trying to cling to the bridge:
Eventually, officers - who themselves appeared in danger during the struggle - did get him safely over the rail and into custody around 9:45 a.m. The man appeared to be distraught as officers removed him from the bridge.
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Traffic backed up in both directions during the incident.
"This is a big deal," Fransen said. "That bridge serves the Delta as far as coming back and forth between Rio Vista and the Antioch-Oakland area."
Both lanes reopened shortly before 10:30 a.m.
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