Police: Woman jumps off bridge, attacks crews trying to save her in hour-long rescue

Rescuers talk with a woman who jumped into the Duwamish River on May 8, 2019. (KOMO Photo) Rescuers talk with a woman who jumped into the Duwamish River on May 8, 2019. (KOMO Photo) Photo: Courtesy KOMO Photo: Courtesy KOMO Image 1 of / 92 Caption Close Police: Woman jumps off bridge, attacks crews trying to save her in hour-long rescue 1 / 92 Back to Gallery

SEATTLE -- A woman who jumped off a Seattle bridge spent more than an hour in the water fending off those trying to rescue her, then attacked medics while on the way to the hospital, fire officials said.

The ordeal began around 4 p.m. Wednesday when witnesses saw a woman jump off the First Avenue Bridge into the Duwamish River.

Seattle Police, firefighters and Coast Guard personnel responded to the scene and tried to get the woman to safety, but she had a knife in her hand and refused to get in either a Coast Guard or Harbor Patrol boat, officials said.

About an hour later, crews finally managed to get her into a boat and get her to a waiting ambulance on shore. However, as the ambulance began to head toward Harborview Medical Center, the woman started fighting with medics in the back, forcing the ambulance to pull over on the West Seattle Bridge near I-5 and call for police.

Medics were eventually able to get control of the woman and continue their journey to Harborview. No one was injured in the melee.

This article first appeared on KOMO NEWS.