A Tukwila Police detective held onto a man dangling from a parking garage wall for almost a minute on Wednesday, refusing to let go until Westfield Southcenter security officers arrived to help pull him to safety. The man, who was experiencing a mental health crisis, had released his grip from the ledge before the detective grabbed his arm, according to police.
Detective Mosley had originally responded to a report of a shirtless man damaging property in the Southcenter District, according to The Tukwila Blog. That man had already left the area before Mosley arrived on scene. While searching nearby, the detective found a different man in immediate danger on an upper level of a nearby parking garage, hanging over the edge of a wall.
Mosley grabbed one of the man's arms just before he could let go completely, the outlet reported. The detective held on for almost a minute as the man remained in crisis, until the Westfield Southcenter security team rapidly responded to assist. Security officers then helped pull the man back over the wall to safety.
Man Taken to Hospital for Evaluation
Once the man was secured, he was transported to a hospital for a mental health evaluation, per the same report. The Tukwila Police Department recounted the rescue in a Facebook post, crediting both Detective Mosley and the mall's security team for the swift response.
A Familiar Scene at the Same Mall
A Familiar Scene at the Same Mall This isn't the first time officers have intervened in a crisis at a Southcenter parking structure. Back in April 2017, Tukwila and Kent police officers stopped a suicidal man from jumping off a Westfield Southcenter garage, according to a report from Patch. In that earlier incident, three Tukwila officers and one Kent officer spent two hours negotiating with the man before he crawled onto a third-level ledge in an attempt to jump, at which point officers pulled him to safety. Patch identified the responding Tukwila officers as Art Stephenson, John Perry, Chris Danninger and Joseph Zaehler, along with Kent Officer Dan Koehler.
Details that remain specific to this week's incident, including the man's identity, age and condition following his hospital evaluation, have not been released.
