Officers Save "Distraught" Woman From Jumping Off Interstate Overpass

The quick thinking of officers from two local agencies are credited with saving the life of a woman who allegedly planned to jump off an overpass along Interstate 575 in north Georgia.

Just after 2:30 a.m. Friday, July 10, Cherokee County E-911 dispatchers received a call from a “distraught female” who said she wanted to jump off a bridge, the Canton Police Department said in a press release.

Dispatchers alerted officers about the emergency call, and patrol units in the area began searching for the woman on bridges around the interstate in the Canton area.

Dispatchers were able to detect the location where the cell phone call originated, which showed it to be in Canton’s city limits.

A corporal with the Canton Police Department was patrolling the area of the northbound exit ramp to Exit 16B just before 3 a.m. when he “observed the suicidal female,” police said.

The woman was slumped over the edge of the bridge that runs over the Canton bypass. With the help of deputies from the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, officers were able to shut down the interstate in both directions as an officer attempted to talk with the woman using his patrol vehicle’s PA system.

This negotiation effort gave the corporal and a Cherokee Sheriff’s Office deputy enough time to scale the bridge embankment and make their way behind the woman without being detected. The officers were able to grab the woman from the ledge and prevent her from jumping.

Other officers and deputies arrived to assist, and the woman was subsequently taken into custody and transported to an area hospital without further incident.

“I cannot thank our officers and the Cherokee sheriff’s deputies enough for their life-saving efforts, dedication and quick action during this serious incident,” said Canton Police Chief Mark Mitchell. “They were able to bring this critical situation to a safe resolution in order for one of our citizens to get the help and care she needs for her troubled situation.”

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