SANTA MONICA—A man threatened to jump off the Santa Monica Freeway Friday, November 22 causing traffic to be halted in both directions.
Officials worked for about a half an hour to convince the jumper to retreat to safety. According to the Santa Monica Police Department, the man was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.
According to California Highway Patrol, traffic remained at a standstill in both directions of the 10 south of Fourth Street. All lanes reopened by 3:40 p.m.
According to the CDC, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States for people of all ages. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that only half of all Americans experiencing an episode of major depression receive treatment.
