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Negotiator talks woman off bridge

RCMP, Coast Guard called out after report of someone about to leap

A police negotiator was called in Monday night after a suicidal woman threatened to jump off a bridge.

Around 7 p.m., the police sealed off the No.2 Road Bridge that connects No. 2 Road to Russ Baker Way, while the Coast Guard patrolled below on the middle arm of the Fraser River.

They had previously received a call about a woman about to jump off the Knight Street Bridge. But, after checking that bridge, officers began combing the city's other spans before they discovered the woman. She was climbing over the railing towards the water when police arrived.

Members from the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team's high angle extraction team were called in, as were police negotiators.

One of the negotiators replaced the two general duty Mounties, who'd been speaking to the woman for an hour.

Half an hour later, she was safely talked back over the railing and taken into custody to receive treatment.

"(This was) a collaborative effort, with thanks going out to ... agencies that assisted us," said Cpl. Sherrdean Turley.

acampbell@richmond-news.com