Monday, July 2, 2018

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- Law enforcement responded to the 13th Street Bridge this morning to assist in helping a man who threatened to jump from the bridge.

The Richmond County Deputies and The North Augusta Department of Public Safety say they arrived around 7:30 a.m. to find a man standing on the guardrail of the bridge armed with a knife and a small self-inflicted wound to his stomach.

Authorities learned through conversation that the man was upset and wanted to jump.

Both the Richmond County Deputies and the North Augusta Department of Public Safety immediately dispatched water rescue vessels if they were needed.

After three hours, negotiators convinced the man to come down from the guardrail but authorities said he was still armed with the knife and at times would remove his knife from its sheath.

Deputies say he refused to surrender the knife.

When he was finally far enough away from the edge of the bridge, deputies deployed an electrical stun device to disarm him and take him into custody.

He was transported to a nearby medical center for treatment and is undergoing a mental evaluation.

Because the man involved in this incident is not being charged and police say it has to do with mental health News 12 respectfully withholds using his name.

11:45 a.m.

(WRDW/WAGT) -- The 13th Street Bridge is back open after a situation Monday morning.

(WRDW/WAGT) -- Law enforcement have closed the 13th Street Bridge (Georgia Avenue) due to a water rescue, North Augusta Department of Public Safety dispatchers say.

The Richmond County Sheriff's Office tweeted deputies are on the scene of an incident on the 13th Street Bridge. They say the bridge has been closed until further notice.

We have reached out to law enforcement for more information.

Stay with News 12 for more details.