Threat of jumping closes Port Angeles bridge briefly

Published 12:01 am Friday, December 25, 2015

PORT ANGELES — The west Eighth Street bridge over Tumwater Truck Route — and the truck route itself — was closed for a short time Wednesday because a man sat on the railing and threatened to jump, Port Angeles police said.

Police Cpl. David Dombrowski, a trained negotiator, talked the man off the railing at 5:39 p.m., Police Sgt. Joshua Powless said.

The man, who was not identified, was detained under the Involuntary Treatment Act, police said.

Police were notified by a family member that during a cellphone conversation, the man had threatened to jump off the 98-foot-tall span.

The man repeated the same threat to Powless and Officer Allen Brusseau as he sat on the north railing, Powless said.

The bridge was closed at 5:07 p.m., and the truck route closed at about 5:20 p.m., Powless said.

The truck route reopened at 5:43 p.m., and the bridge reopened at 5:52 p.m., he said.

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5072, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.