Interstate 17 closes in Phoenix as police talk down suicidal man

PHOENIX — A man threatening to hurt himself stopped traffic in both directions on a Phoenix freeway early Thursday morning before police talked him down.

The unidentified man was standing on the pedestrian bridge that crosses Interstate 17 at Maryland Avenue. Authorities closed the freeway at Bethany Home Road in northbound lanes and Glendale Avenue heading south.

In a 4 a.m. email, Sgt. Jonathan Howard said the man had been there for hours at that point.

Police managed to get him off the bridge shortly after 5 a.m. The roadway reopened before 5:30 a.m. but crews were still working in the area, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.

REOPEN: I-17 between Bethany Home and Glendale has reopened. Traffic is still heavy in the area and crews are still working in the area. #PhxTraffic

— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) March 15, 2018

No other details were immediately available.

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