BAKERSFIELD, Calif. --
The Bakersfield Police Department said a woman was pulled to safety from atop a bridge thanks to the swift thinking of three officers.
The BPD said that about 12 p.m. on Wednesday, officers received a call regarding a woman standing on the Highway 58 overcrossing at Oswell Street, possibly contemplating jumping.
When officers arrived, they said they saw a woman running on Highway 58, Sgt. Mary DeGeare said.
When officers tried to talk with the woman, DeGeare said the woman ran to the north side of Highway 58 where it crosses over Oswell Street and climbed on the cement guardrail, then sat with her feet dangling over the edge.
As officers approached, officers said the woman tensed as if she were preparing to jump off the overcrossing onto Oswell Street below.
Officers Shannon Davis and Johnny Ramirez tried talking to the woman while other police and CHP officers shut down traffic on both roadways.
As Davis and Ramirez continued to talk to her, Senior Officer Eric Schimon approached her from the opposite direction, DeGeare said.
Davis spoke to the woman and tried to lure her away from the edge for several minutes, to no avail. But Schimon tossed his baton on the ground behind the woman, diverting her attention long enough for Schimon to grab her from behind and pull her to safety, DeGeare said.
DeGeare said the unidentified 28-year-old woman had several stab wounds to her abdomen that were either self-inflicted or the result of an attack.
The woman was taken to Kern Medical Center for a medical treatment and a psychological evaluation.
Her injuries are being investigated by the Sheriff’s Department.
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