A distraught individual perched on a freeway stanchion at the critical 24/680 Junction for several hours Wednesday, prompting police to seal off the area and creating a massive traffic jam that stretched along the freeway for miles.
Officers negotiated with the individual from a distance, starting from about 2 p.m. on until the unidentified man turned himself over to negotiators at around 5:30 p.m.
There were no injuries but snarled traffic quickly overflowed the freeways and clogged local surface streets as drivers attempted to get clear of the freeway stoppage. The Highway 24 connector to eastbound I680 remained closed throughout the marathon negotiation.
The authorities really have to address how to handle these situations. Maybe some smarter people at the top to make tough decisions. Even a child would see the fallacy of the “let’s wait him out” strategy. While this gentlemen was going through his “crisis”, thousands were left stranded.