"He's jumping right now," cried MPO Smith from his patrol car radio. "Hey, Buddy! Don't do it. Will you talk to me, please?"
Smith, a seven-year patrol officer, took swift action and spent nearly 35 minutes talking to a young man who had climbed over the railing of the Warden Bridge, KRTV reports.
Smith took careful yet, immediate action. The bridge left a barrier between him and the teenager who he convinced to straddle the railing. GFPD told MTN News that during the incident, the juvenile possessed an air pistol, which appeared to be a real firearm. The teen cooperated with MPO Smith, taking the air pistol from his waistband and dropping it over the railing in the line of sight of law enforcement. That move built a sense of trust between the two.
As the clock ticked to get the juvenile to safety, Great Falls Fire Rescue responded its water vessel in the Missouri River below and other responding officers helped with traffic control and other tasks. Finally, the two were seen embracing each other on the side of the street, MPO Smith says, "It's going to be okay... Let's go back to the station and talk."