LOS ANGELES – A person spotted on a ledge above the Harbor (110) Freeway in downtown Los Angeles forced an hours-long closure of almost the entire southbound freeway Wednesday, snarling traffic for miles until the would-be jumper was taken into custody.
The potential jumper was reported shortly after 2 p.m., according to the city fire department. The California Highway Patrol closed all but one lane of the southbound freeway near Seventh Street as police worked to talk the person down.
The Los Angeles Fire Department also inflated a large airbag on the freeway beneath the person.
Southbound traffic on the freeway through the downtown area was brought to a virtual standstill, with the standoff continuing into the late afternoon and motorists trying to squeeze into the far left lane of the roadway.
At about 4:45 p.m., the person above the freeway was taken into custody and taken to a hospital for evaluation, according to the LAFD. The CHP quickly worked to reopen all freeway lanes, but residual traffic delays continued into the early evening.