Man threatening to jump off SF Ferry Terminal shuts down Golden Gate ferry service. Cops trying to talk him down. pic.twitter.com/0DmbAlG1Ln
— Doug Sovern (@SovernNation) February 2, 2015
Monday was a day of fits, starts, and scares across San Francisco, as emergency responders managed a bomb scare at an elementary school, a "suspicious package" in the Richmond, and what appeared to be a suicide threat at the Ferry Building Terminal.
The day of emergency response intensity began bright and early Monday, with a bomb threat note that was discovered at Jose Ortega Elementary School at 7:35 a.m.
Because the note was found so early, school district officials were able to contact a lot of parents to keep them from bringing their kids to school, while those who did arrive for class were taken to a "nearby facility," a San Francisco School District spokesperson says.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco Police Department's bomb squad was searching the school for any explosive devices. Nothing was found, and by 10:09 a.m., the all-clear was given and kids were expected to return to school.
Then, at 3 p.m., police were called to the Golden Gate Ferry Terminal, which is behind the Ferry Building, SFPD spokesperson Sergeant Monica McDonald says.
When officers arrived, they discovered a man standing over the railing on the second floor of the terminal, McDonald says.
According to KCBS, the man, who appeared to be in his 20s, and was wearing camouflage pants and an olive shirt, was "yelling and thrashing around and occasionally making jumping motions."
The Ex reports he "appeared to threaten that he would jump by getting a running start and then stopping at the edge of the rooftop."
SFPD negotiators spent almost two hours talking the man down. He backed off the ledge and was taken into custody by 4:45, McDonald says.
Finally, at 3:15 p.m., the bomb squad was sent back out, this time to the 3600 block of Geary, which is near Arguello. Apparently, an empty box left on the sidewalk aroused suspicions of some sort, which, OK!
During the investigation, Geary headed east and Arguello headed north were both closed, and the 38 Geary bus were rerouted to run on Anza, which must have been fun.
By 5 p.m., SFPD determined that the empty box, which SFPD spokesperson Officer Grace Gatpandan says was "about 20 inches wide and 20 inches high," was indeed an empty box, nothing more. And with that, life returned to normal in the Inner Richmond.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.