Thaindian News

By Gina Gomez
San Francisco, Nov 12, (THAINDIAN NEWS) A tussle between an apparently suicidal man and authorities on the San Francisco Bay Bridge resulted in the busiest bridge in Northern California being shut down for about an hour on Thursday. 51-year-old Craig Carlos-Valentino pulled over the Bay Bridge yesterday and called the police authorities claiming that he had explosives in his vehicle. Authorities rushed to the area and blocked traffic on the bridge as the man threatened to blow it off while also claiming that he would kill himself.

After the cops were intimated about the man threatening to kill himself on Bay Bridge, San Francisco bomb squad, hostage negotiators as well as the California Highway Patrol (CHP) responded to the scene without any kind of delay to bring the situation under control. As Craig Carlos-Valentino climbed onto the ledge surpassing the protective barrier of the bridge, threatening to take his own life before blowing off the bridge with his explosive laden SUV, authorities tried to convince him and after much deliberation, the 51-year-old man surrendered after the crisis scenario went on for more than one hour. After the man was taken into custody and his vehicle was searched, no explosives were found in his SUV that was parked on the bridge.

While revealing details of the incident, Sergeant Trent Cross who is an official of the California Highway Patrol (CHP) later told reporters that the man has been booked at the San Francisco County Jail after he was detained as he now faces felony charges. The charges that have been levied against the distraught man include felony criminal threats, brandishing a firearm as well as felony endangerment.