Man threatening to jump from Oglethorpe Bridge talked down by negotiators (Video)

ALBANY — For the second time in less than six weeks, public safety officials talked down to safety an individual threatening to jump from the Flint River Bridge on Oglethorpe Boulevard.

At 12:15 p.m., Albany Police Department officers were dispatched to the scene after receiving multiple 911 calls indicating a man was threatening to jump from the bridge. After about an hour, Dewayne Jones, 35, of Albany, was persuaded by negotiators to put his leg over the bridge side of the railing.

Cell phone users can see the video by clicking HERE.

According to the APD, Cpl. Daryl Jones was eventually able to grab Dewayne Jones by the arm and pull him back over the railing. Dewayne Jones was then quickly surrounded by a group of public safety personnel, who bundled him aboard a Dougherty County Emergency Medical Services ambulance to be taken to the Crisis Center at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.

Traffic heading both east and west on Oglethorpe Boulevard was rerouted for approximately an hour while authorities dealt with the situation.

Things didn’t get any better for Dewayne Jones later in the day. Officers with the APD charged him with second degree criminal damage to property and simple battery/domestic violence because of an incident that happened Saturday night.

This was the second threat of a man jumping from the Oglethorpe bridge in less than six weeks. About 8 a.m. on Feb. 5, Travious Brinson, 20, of Albany, was talked down from the bridge railing after threatening to jump into the river. That incident resulted in eastbound traffic being held up and rerouted for about 15 minutes.