An Arizona officer is being hailed a hero after saving a man who attempted to take his own life, by offering a hug while the man stood on a bridge holding onto a fence.
On Wednesday, the Chandler Police Department released footage of an incident that happened in March, when a 26-year-old man climbed the railing of a pedestrian bridge over Highway 101 in Chandler. Officer Aaron Little spoke calmly to the man, and showed sympathy and kindness while asking him to climb down.
“I’ll hug you, man. I don’t care. I just want to talk to you. I swear,” Little said. “Come give me that hug. I’m not going to do anything to you.”
“Please climb up over that fence, buddy. It’s just me and you.”
The man, crying, climbed down from the fencing area and walked toward Little. He tearfully embraced the officer.
EMPACT Suicide Prevention Center praised Little’s actions and said he did the right thing, given the circumstances.
“Being sympathetic, non-judgemental, calm, so the fact that the officer didn’t seem shocked by what the individual was doing, and maintained his distance from him,” Erica Chestnut-Ramirez, Director of the crisis center, told FOX 10.
If you or a loved one feels suicidal, contact the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-8255, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
