A man who snarled traffic for miles around Mission Bay off and on for about 19 hours by perching on the edge of an overpass over Interstate 5 — possibly as a publicity-seeking stunt — was finally taken into custody Tuesday, much to the relief of motorists who travel the busy area.
Officers were finally able to detain the man, whose identity was not immediately available, at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, after which he was taken to a hospital for an evaluation and the California Highway Patrol reopened the freeway, according to the San Diego Police Department.
The commuter nightmare began at about 12:30 p.m. Monday, when the man climbed onto the southern edge of the Clairemont Drive overpass, above the northbound lanes of I-5, according to the CHP. Authorities closed that side of the interstate, and traffic soon was gridlocked in the immediate area and south to I-8 and beyond as police tried to talk the man down to safety.
After about an hour, the trespasser descended onto a sidewalk on the span, telling police he was not suicidal or mentally ill, the CHP reported. Instead, he claimed, he was trying to set some sort of record for time and "occurrences" on the edge of a bridge, according to the state agency.
With the man on a relatively safe spot on the overpass, the CHP reopened the freeway.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Monday, however, the squatter was back to roosting on the edge of the structure. Authorities responded by closing the northbound side of the freeway once more and then, about two hours later, shutting down the southbound lanes.
At about 11:30 p.m., the man had retreated to a safe enough spot that the CHP was able to reopen both sides of the interstate, the agency reported. Then, at sunrise Tuesday, officers had to shut down the northbound lanes at Clairemont Drive yet again due to the intruder's dangerous presence on the overpass.
Once in custody a short time later, the bridge-climber was taken to UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest, according to Officer Abbey Madison of the SDPD.
It was unclear what type of criminal charges, if any, the man might face over his traffic-tangling antics.
If you or a loved one are struggling, the San Diego Crisis Hotline is available 24/7 at (888) 724-7240. You can also reach the national hotline by dialing 988.
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