Officer

California Highway Patrol

12/4/2007

Special Act Award (Gold)

On December 4, 2007, California Highway Patrol Officer Lawrence Colby was assisting fellow California Highway Patrolmen and the San Bernardino Police Department with a female juvenile attempting to jump from a bridge on the transition road of eastbound Interstate 10 to northbound Interstate 215 in the city of Colton. As the young woman made statements that she didn’t want to live any more, she would release one of her hands from the bridge rail and one of her feet from the ledge she was standing on and arch backwards away from the bridge. It was clear to Officer Colby that the woman would jump if no intervention was attempted. Officer Colby positioned himself on the woman’s blind side while officers negotiated with her. After 50 minutes of negotiations, the woman leaned backwards with the finger tips of one hand holding onto the bridge rail and one foot on the ledge. Officer Colby lunged over the bridge railing and “bear hugged” the woman pulling her back onto the road, preventing her from death or serious injury.