Two Los Angeles police officers stopped a man from hanging himself on a telephone pole in Hollywood last week.
Officers Joseph Marx and Chris Ignacio responded to a call of a '"suicide in progress" on the corner of La Brea Avenue and Delongpre Avenue around 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 17, according to a department news release.
Upon arrival, they spotted a man near the top of a telephone pole with a tied torn shirt around his neck threatening to hang himself from the pole.
Supervisors began coordinating the scene and requested multiple resources, including that Los Angeles Fire Department and Emergency Response Team. An extended ladder and air bag was also deployed.
As the man let go of his grip on the pole, he hung himself by the neck with his feet dangling in the air. That's when Marx and Ignacio acted quickly to put the emergency contingency plan into action and saved the man's life.
"I could not be prouder of the supervisors and officers who brought this incident to a successful and safe conclusion," Lt. Scott Murray said in a statement. "Their actions saved the life of a mentally disturbed, suicidal man, who they neither knew, nor never met."
The man received medical treatment at the scene and was transported to a local hospital for further medical treatment and a mental evaluation.
