The woman cried and told Deputy Damon Laney, “Just let me jump,” according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.

PINELLAS COUNTY – A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy saved a Tampa woman’s life when he pulled her off the ledge of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Tuesday (Jan. 2) night.

The 50-year-old woman, whose name was not released, later told Deputy Damon Laney that she was upset over personal issues. She was taken into protective custody under the Baker Act. She was not injured during the incident.

Laney, 37, has worked for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office since Feb. 10, 2012. He is currently assigned to the patrol operations DUI unit.

Laney was driving northbound across the top span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge about 11:50 p.m. on his way to an off-duty work detail when he noticed a car with its hazard lights on parked along the side of the bridge.

Laney turned on his emergency lights and started to pull behind the vehicle. The driver got out of the parked car and ran towards the outside barrier wall of the bridge. As she tried to climb over the wall and jump,  Laney – who had no time to get out of his vehicle – used it to trap her legs between the push bumper and the wall.

When Laney got out of his vehicle, the woman managed to free herself and was completely over the wall with the exception of one arm. Laney grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back over the wall where she continued to struggle until she was handcuffed. While he was detaining her, she cried and said, “Just let me jump.”

Pinellas Sheriff | Damon Laney | Sunshine Skyway | Suicide | Skyway Jump | Tampabay News

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