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LOOK: Authorities Immediately Shut Down Highway When They See THIS On Overhead Sign
Tuesday afternoon’s rush hour in Nashville, Tennessee became a major traffic bottleneck after a man spent about two hours on a road sign over Interstate 65.
Witnesses said at one point William Walters stripped off his clothes while on the sign before putting them back on. He also dangled his feet from the sign as drivers below fumed at the delay he was causing.
Walters was spotted on the sign at about 3:30 p.m. The highway was closed and police were called.
“I think he wanted help,” said police negotiator Cedric Connolly. “His thing was, helicopters were following him, everyone was talking about him. He just wanted it to stop.”
When the situation ended, police arrested Walters and charged him with disorderly conduct and obstructing a roadway. Walters, 46, was carrying an identification card from a Seattle men’s shelter issued in March 2014, police said. A mental health evaluation was also ordered for Walters.
“I just got up there and said, ‘I’m Cedric from the police department. I want to find out what is going on and how I can help,’” Connolly said.
Walters never replied. Eventually, Connolly tried again to engage him.
“Finally I said, ‘You have no reason to trust me, and I understand that, but I want to change that for you,’” he said. “I asked, ‘What can I do to have you trust me?’ And that, I think, is when we started talking a little more.”
However, it took two hours before Walters fully trusted Connolly.
“He said, ‘I don’t want to go to a hospital. They will hurt me.’ He said, ‘Please don’t cuff me.’ I said, ‘I won’t cuff you on this fire ladder,’ and he was fine with that. He stepped into the bucket and kept saying, ‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I am sorry,’” Connolly said.
h/t: New York Post
Source: http://www.westernjournalism.com/look-authorities-immediately-shut-down-highway-when-they-see-this-on-overhead-sign/
