San Diego I-5 jammed by 8 1/2-hour jumpingn drama

San Diego I-5 jammed by 8 1/2-hour jumpingn drama

SAN DIEGO — A woman who was planning a jumping from a San Diego bridge has surrendered, after 8 1/2 hours excercise done by police negotiators thus closed a major downtown freeway and caused traffic to back up for miles.
Police say negotiators were sent to talk to the 47-year-old woman on a bridge over Interstate 5 shortly after 1:40 a.m. Tuesday.
Highway Patrol Officer Ray Scheidnes (SHIGHD'-ness) told that the woman climbed on top of a chain-link cage covering the sides of the bridge. He says she considered jumping and remained there, some 60 feet above the freeway, until finally coming down and surrendering to police around 10 a.m.
All southbound lanes and all but two northbound lanes were closed during the negotiations. Scheidnes says tens of thousands of cars were affected.