'My heart was racing': Holdenville Police save woman from jumping off of bridge
Holdenville Police said a woman is recovering in a mental health facility after they grabbed and saved her before she could jump off of a bridge
HOLDENVILLE, Okla. (KFOR) - Holdenville Police said a woman is recovering in a mental health facility after they grabbed and saved her before she could jump off of a bridge. The twenty-minute nail-biting encounter was caught on body camera.
"I just want to tell my kids 'goodbye' and 'I'm sorry,'" said the woman on the body camera footage.
"My heart was racing," said Chief Kyle Lening of the Holdenville Police Department.
Wednesday evening, along Highway 270 in Holdenville, a woman was about to jump from a 35-foot bridge.
"There's a lady there, it looks like she's about to jump," said a 911 caller.
"She had a big long rope behind her. She had both her legs hanging off the bridge. Well over half of her body was dangling. She was just hanging on with her fingertips," said Chief Lening.
When the chief, assistant chief, and an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper arrived, body cam footage shows the woman was hysterical.
"Can we come closer to you?" asked an officer. "No!" the woman yelled back.
The trooper called for backup.
"Hey, do we have a negotiator around her?" asked the trooper on his cell phone.
However, Chief Lening said they didn't have much time. Minutes in, they could tell the woman's arms were about to give up. So, the officers came up with a plan.
"If I can get her to look away and distract her, I'm going to grab her," Chief Lening can be heard saying on the footage.
"[The trooper] kept her engaged, to which, calmed her down," said the chief.
"Hey, come over here to me and let's talk about this," said the trooper to the woman.
"Don't do it," said the trooper. "I have to," said the woman. "No, you don't have to."
While the trooper talked to the woman for several minutes, the trooper and Chief Lening inched closer and closer to her.
"He gave me the signal. I gave him the signal," said the chief.
That's when all three officers rushed her, grabbed her, and pulled her to the ground. Then, they managed to put her in handcuffs for her safety.
Chief Lening said they were able to get her to a hospital and then eventually a mental health facility.
Earlier this week, News 4 reported the Oklahoma City Fire Department has responded to 1,000 attempted suicides this year. While the state's 988 mental health hotline is averaging 4,000 calls a month.
While the small town of Holdenville isn't seeing that high of numbers, the police department said the numbers are still increasing.
"There’s been a big spike since covid," said Chief Lening. "you see a lot more in children."
The chief also said suicide attempt calls are not part of the training.