Police snatch woman from the edge of 180-foot Texas bridge known for suicides

Newly released dashcam footage shows Texas police officers snatching an apparently distraught woman from the edge of a 180-foot bridge as she sat precariously with her legs dangling over the Houston Ship Channel.

“Ma’am. Come talk to me, ma’am,” one of the La Porte, Texas, officers said to the woman as the three officers gingerly approached her Monday night on the Fred Hartman Bridge. “You’re not in trouble, OK.”

That seemed to be enough of a distraction for the two other officers to pull her to safety.

“The officers made the right call pulling her off the bridge in case she was still contemplating because even a vehicle driving by can accidentally knock someone off,” La Porte Police Department Sgt. Bennie Boles said.

Police there routinely patrol the bridge, which connects Baytown and La Porte, looking for vehicles stopped on it, hoping to prevent people from jumping or contemplating jumping, Boles said.

“When we get calls, and the person has not jumped, we’ve got a real high success rate,” Boles added.

The woman was taken to a hospital for psychological evaluation and treatment, according to the La Porte Police Department.

As for the officers, Sgt. Boles said, “We’re proud of them for making that quick decision and excited for the young lady to have another day to move on with her life.”