Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies Talk Man Down From U.S. 26 Overpass

By Rebecca Woolington, The Oregonian, Friday, February 10, 2012

US 26 Overpass

Washington County Sheriff’s Deputies talked down a man who was threatening to jump off a U.S. 26 overpass this morning. The incident reportedly closed the highway for about 25 minutes.

Shortly before 11:20 a.m., a person called 9-1-1 to report a distraught man who was on the Northwest Brookwood Parkway and Helvetia Road overpass, said Sgt. David Thompson, a sheriff’s office spokesman. Sheriff’s office Sgt. Tim Tannenbaum was nearby and responded.

Tannenbaum found the man on the overpass and determined he was in crisis, Thompson said. The man, with both hands, grabbed the guardrail. He threatened to jump onto the highway and into traffic.

Tannenbaum talked to the man, while instructing deputies to close the overpass and highway. He then requested that Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Tim Kiurski – a member of the county’s Hostage Negotiations Team – respond to the call, Thompson said. Kiurski also runs the Mental Health Response Team — a partnership between the Sheriff’s Office, LifeWorks Northwest and the county’s mental health department that places a trained mental health worker with Kiurski.

A mental health worker was not with Kiurski today.

Kiurski and Tannenbaum continued talking with the man and he eventually agreed to go to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation, Thompson said. The man did not hurt himself.

The entire incident – which multiple sheriff’s deputies and Hillsboro police officers responded to – lasted about 25 minutes.

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