Man Seriously Injured After Taking Dive From Traffic Signal

UPDATE: The South Gate Police Department

This morning at approximately 10:16 a.m. a man in his late thirties was reported to be running into traffic, as well as jumping on top of cars, on the southwest corner of Garfield Avenue and Imperial Highway.  The man eventually climbed on a traffic light in the intersection before taking a 10 to 30 feet dive onto the street.

“The man is in critical condition,” said Lt. Jim Teeples of the South Gate Police Department, who added that the man was attempting to commit suicide. 

South Gate police officers along with the Los Angeles County Fire Department attempted to convince the man to climb down. The police also blocked all traffic coming eastbound of Imperial Highway and northbound on Garfield Avenue for over two hours.

The man was taken to a nearby hospital for serious injuries to his body and head, the police said.

Among the businesses most affected by this tragic occurrence was the El Pollo Loco situated on the corner of Garfield Avenue and Imperial Highway. Their building was right in front of the traffic light that the man decided to climb and jump off from.

“He kept asking ’why me?’” said Maria Villa, 41, General Manager at the El Pollo Loco, who added that the man was not acting rational. “He threw his cellphone at the officers.”

The situation was very tense, and Villa confessed to being affected by the sadness of the whole ordeal.

“Witnessing this broke me down,” said Villa. “I was crying.”

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