11:15pm | Local authorities prevented a suicidal woman from jumping from the 8th story of the Long Beach Hilton over the weekend, in a daring rescue that included Police negotiators, Fire Department units and personnel from the Urban Search & Rescue team that incredibly rappelled down the side of the building to stop her.
Fire Department units responded to emergency calls at the hotel around 2:30pm on Saturday, according to the official Fire Department blog. The woman was hanging out of the 8th story and Ocean Boulevard was shut down as a four-hour negotiation process began. Negotiators kept communication with the woman and US&R began rappelling down the building.
It all ended when the woman briefly stepped away from the window. The US&R team quickly lowered themselves and blocked the windows while Police officers broke down the woman’s door and subdued her without incident, according to the Fire blog. She was examined by paramedics and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Hats off to the swift work of authorities in several departments.