Officers from the San Luis Obispo Police Department and the Cal Poly University Police Department responded to a 911 call from a 20-year-old male San Luis Obispo resident who stated he was going to jump off of an overpass in San Luis Obispo between 11:30 p.m. last night and 2 a.m. this morning.
Officers were able to locate the man on the Santa Rosa St overcrossing. A negotiator from the San Luis Obispo Police Department’s Crisis Negotiation Team was on duty and immediately began face-to-face negotiations with the man, who was perched on the outer edge of the overpass over the northbound lanes of US-101.
The California Highway patrol responded and closed traffic northbound on 101 for the duration of the incident. Traffic was re-routed onto surface streets and back onto the freeway. Highway 1 (Santa Rosa St) was also closed in both directions between Olive and Walnut.
After approximately two hours of negotiation, the man agreed to come back over the railing and surrender himself to the officers. He was taken into custody without incident or injury, and was taken to San Luis Obispo County Mental Health for a 72-hour evaluation pursuant to 5150WIC.
He was evidently despondent over financial and personal issues, and is not a student, according to a press release issued by Sgt. Janice Goodwin of the San Luis Obispo Police Department.