“Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge” saved over 200 from suicide

Guardian’ Officer Has Saved Over 200 People From Jumping Off the Golden Gate Bridge

Good News Network
By McKinley Corbley
Feb 18, 2019

“We talked for 92 minutes about everything that I was dealing with. My daughter, her first birthday was the next month. And you made me see that if nothing else, I need to live for her.”

It’s a police officer’s job to protect and serve – but Kevin Briggs never thought that his job would lead him to save over 200 people from committing suicide.

Briggs has been dubbed the “Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge” because of his awe-inspiring history of talking people down from the edge of the historic landmark.

The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the world’s most notorious spots for suicide attempts. Briggs, who is a California Highway Patrol officer, was first stationed on the bridge in 1994 – but he says that he had never been trained on how to handle suicidal people.

As he encountered more and more distraught individuals, however, he began to pick up more and more strategies on how he could talk to them efficiently. Whenever he successfully managed to coax someone off of the ledge, he would ask them about which parts of his approach were helpful and which ones weren’t.
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Afghanistan Veteran High Speed Chase After Seeking Help

Only On 9: War Veteran Suffering From PTSD Leads CHP On Dangerous 2-County Chase
CBS Los Angeles
July 1, 2017

The son returned to Los Angeles from Afghanistan about three-and-a-half years ago and the elder Hidalgo says it’s been a struggle for his son ever since.

“Once he came back,” said Gary, “he got no help. I had to fight for his assistance, to get him what he needs.”

ONTARIO (CBSLA.com) — A war veteran who allegedly suffers from PTSD led law enforcement on a two-county high-speed chase Saturday.

The veteran’s father, Gary Hidalgo, spoke to KCAL 9’s Cristy Fajardo about his son, 26-year-old Christian Hidalgo.

She spoke to the elder Hidalgo in Ontario where the chase ended. It is a story that is Only On 9.

The father said his son has not been the same since returning from Afghanistan after “multiple” deployments spanning three years.

The CHP said they first tried to pull the son over in Santa Clarita for driving recklessly. They called the chase dangerous and said Hidalgo often exceeded 100 mph.

The father said his son has not been the same since returning from Afghanistan after “multiple” deployments spanning three years.

The CHP said they first tried to pull the son over in Santa Clarita for driving recklessly. They called the chase dangerous and said Hidalgo often exceeded 100 mph.

A squad car crashed during the chase. There was no word on whether the officer driving the vehicle was injured.

Gary said his son’s PTSD was so bad he went to the VA Hospital in Westwood today trying to get help.
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Two Camp Pendleton Marines Injured After Humvee Crash

Humvee crash shuts down traffic near Camp Pendleton
FOX5 NEWS
BY FOX 5 DIGITAL TEAM
OCTOBER 26, 2014,

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. — Two Camp Pendleton Marines were injured Sunday when their Humvee crashed into a truck and overturned on southbound Interstate 5 near the Aliso Creek rest area.

The 45-year-old truck driver told California Highway Patrol officers he saw the Humvee approaching from behind shortly before 10 a.m., CHP Officer Jim Bettencourt said. The Humvee struck the back right corner of the truck and spun out of control, first up the right shoulder embankment and then across all four lanes of traffic before hitting the center divider.
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Marine killed trying to help after chain reaction crash

Marine's Body Arrives Home
February 28, 2014
By WKBW News

CHEEKTOWAGA (WKBW) Twenty year old Richard Jones was a Lance Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and a former volunteer firefighter in Niagara Falls. His body was flown home on Friday as more information is released on how he died, trying to help others.

A hearse flying two American flags, flanked by family, friends, and several first responders left the Buffalo Airport, transporting the flag draped casket of Marine Richard Jones.

UPDATE
Marine from Niagara Falls dies in California accident
"Chief Bruce Mack of the Frontier Volunteer Fire Company in Wheatfield confirmed that the victim was Ricky Jones, 20, a Niagara Falls High School graduate who came up through the company’s Youth Program and became a firefighter when he turned 18. He is the son of Niagara Falls Police Detective Daniel Jones."

Marine Killed in I-8 Chain Reaction Crash
The Marine may have been killed after getting out of his truck, while attempting to dodge an oncoming vehicle
NBC San Diego
By Diana Guevara and Monica Garske
Saturday, Feb 22, 2014

U.S. Marine was killed in a chain reaction-type crash along Interstate 8 in San Diego Saturday morning, possibly while attempting to jump out of the way of an oncoming vehicle, California Highway Patrol officials said.

The fatal accident, which involved several vehicles, happened just after 5 a.m. along westbound I-8 at the State Route 163 interchange in the Mission Valley area.

CHP officials said a woman was driving a Honda Civic on westbound I-8 when, for unknown reasons, she lost control, striking a nearby barrier before coming to a halt in the middle of the freeway. Shortly thereafter, officials said three other cars slammed into the Honda in a chain reaction.

According to CHP officials, one of those vehicles, a Ford truck, was occupied by two Marines who were headed to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD). After colliding into the wreckage, the Marines got out of their truck and walked over to the woman in the Honda to help.
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Firefighter handcuffed for protecting others after crash

Veteran Firefighter: CHP Cuffing Engineer at Scene Was "Shocking"
An 18-year veteran firefighter from a different department with the same job of driving the fire trucks reacts to the handcuffing of an engineer at a crash scene
NBC San Diego
By Dave Summers
Feb 6, 2014

The handcuffing a Chula Vista firefighter at an accident scene has prompted a strong reaction among other emergency personnel across the U.S., specifically one 18-year veteran firefighter.

A California Highway Patrol officer detained the firefighter at the crash scene along Interstate 805 near Telegraph Canyon Road Tuesday night.

A car had rolled through construction, injuring two people. Chula Vista Fire Engineer Jacob Gregoire was detained after refusing to move Fire Engine 52 which was protecting medics working the scene.

A Chula Vista firefighter ended up in handcuffs at the site of a car crash Tuesday night. The California Highway Patrol officer said the fire engine was blocking the road, but the firefighter said it was protecting the crash victims. CHP and Chula Vista Fire met for a discussion on Wednesday. NBC 7’s Omari Fleming has the outcome of that meeting.

The firefighter, who we'll call Allen, wished not to be identified to avoid retribution but was compelled to give his take on what happened to Gregoire.

“It is shocking that the safety of a citizen or those of us rendering aid would be put in jeopardy just to have a lane in the freeway open,” Allen said.

Over fire communications you here another firefighter reporting what was happening.
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Easter treat to my biker friends

Biker dressed as Easter Bunny pulled over by California officers
By Daniel Arkin
Staff Writer
NBC News


Move over, Mad Max. Step aside, Easy Rider. The Easter Bunny rules the road.

A motorcyclist wearing a full Easter Bunny costume was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol early Saturday after officers on routine patrol spotted the costumed man traveling down Interstate 8 without a helmet, NBCLosAngeles.com reported.
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Several People Dead After 25-Minute Ordeal

Orange County Shooting Spree: Several People Dead After 25-Minute Ordeal
Police In California Say
Huffington Post
By GILLIAN FLACCUS
02/19/13

TUSTIN, Calif. — A young man shot a woman to death in a home early Tuesday then went on a spree of carjackings and random shootings across Orange County that left two more people dead and three others wounded before the gunman killed himself, authorities said.

Many more victims were shot at but unhurt, Tustin Lt. Paul Garaven said.

The gunman was only described as being in his 20s, and his motive was not known, according to officials of at least four agencies investigating multiple crime scenes.

It was unclear if the victims knew each other or the shooter, Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said.

"It might have been a random thing," he said. "We just don't know."

When officers tried to stop him, he got out of the vehicle and killed himself, Garaven said. A shotgun was recovered at the scene.
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Iraq veteran and wounded CHP officer gets help to heal

Volunteers step up to help disabled East Bay veteran
Laura Anthony
ABC News Team
January 24, 3013

PITTSBURG, Calif. (KGO) -- An East Bay veteran is getting a complete makeover of his backyard, thanks to a team of volunteers from Home Depot.

The volunteers worked from about 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday. The veteran who owns the home served two years in Iraq in a combat zone before he returned to the Bay Area and joined the CHP. He was left permanently disabled after responding to a robbery call in Oakland. The team of volunteers came out to his house to help make his life a little smoother, going forward.

After all the service Shawn Navel has given to his country and his community, he's grateful for what's being given back to him now, "I'm extremely happy and I'm also happy to see all these supporters," Shawn said.

An Army veteran, Shawn served two tours in Iraq before returning to the Bay Area as a California Highway Patrol officer. It wasn't just a career, but something he considered a calling.
But that was all shattered three years ago when Shawn and several other CHP officers responded to a robbery in progress at an Oakland Walgreens. When the robber came out shooting, Shawn was hit eight times.

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Young Iraq War veteran to be remembered for lives he saved after his death

Young Iraq War veteran to be remembered for lives he saved after his death
Las Vegas Sun
By William D'Urso
Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012

For more than two years Gabriel Barajas fought in Iraq, participating in critical missions like the capture of Saddam Hussein.

Barajas had come through the dangers of armed conflict to see his family again, but in a cruel twist of fate, was struck and killed by a car in 2004 when he stopped on a California highway to change a flat tire.

Dead at 21, he’d no longer be able to watch wrestling with his brother, Francisco; he’d no longer smile and he’d tell no more jokes. But the life that once made him vibrant was given to others in greater need. A man who had always helped people did so one last time, not with his actions or words, but with his eyes, kidneys, liver and heart.

Barajas’ organ donor status helped heal a 3-year-old boy who was struggling with complications from his dialysis treatments. He was one of the lucky ones.
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Marine recruiter shot at while driving on Highway 85

Cupertino: Marine recruiter shot at while driving on Highway 85
Mercury News.com
By Robert Salonga
Posted: 12/19/2012

Southbound 85 Shooting Police block traffic on southbound Highway 85 near the Stevens Creek Blvd. overpass in Cupertino, Calif. on Wednesday afternoon Dec. 19, 2012 after a Marine recruiter was shot at multiple times. (Karl Mondon/Staff)

CUPERTINO -- A Marine recruiter was shot at multiple times while driving on Highway 85 on Wednesday afternoon but was not hit, snarling traffic in the area as authorities investigated the attack.

The recruiter was driving a government-issued Pontiac G6 sedan on southbound Highway 85 about 12:25 p.m. when the vehicle was hit by bullets near Stevens Creek Boulevard, said California Highway Patrol Officer D.J. Sarabia.

"He hears a pop and a back window blows out," Sarabia said.

Sarabia said there appeared to be between three and four bullet holes in the car. Sgt. Jose Cardoza of the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, which is leading the investigation, said the two rear passenger windows were shattered.
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Money thrown onto freeway jams traffic

Money thrown onto freeway jams traffic as people stop to collect cash
August 16, 2009 5:06 pm
Cash thrown along the 210 Freeway by a 56-year-old man whom authorities described as emotionally disturbed caused a small traffic jam today as drivers pulled over to pick up the bills.

California Highway Patrol officers arrived at the westbound 210 Freeway near Grand Avenue just after noon and found about 10 people outside their cars attempting to pick up the bills, CHP Officer Anthony Martin said.

A short time later, the man who tossed the money walked into the nearby Azusa Police Department headquarters and told officers that he wanted to commit suicide, Lt. Steve Hunt said.
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Money thrown onto freeway jams traffic

Five bodies pulled from charred wreckage after I-5 crash in CA

Five bodies pulled from charred wreckage after I-5 crash

Witnesses say the SUV blew a tire before skidding off I-5, slamming into a light pole and rolling down an embankment in O.C. The ensuing fire was so fierce witnesses couldn't get near to help.

By Paloma Esquivel and My-Thuan Tran
August 5, 2009
Five people were killed Tuesday morning when a sport utility vehicle skidded off Interstate 5, rolled down an embankment and burst into flames, authorities said.

Witnesses to the Mission Viejo crash said they ran down the embankment to try to help, but the blaze forced them back.

The Orange County coroner's office said the victims were a 37-year-old man, a 33-year-old woman and three other females whose ages were not released.
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Five bodies pulled from charred wreckage

Bus driver in deadly crash arrested

Bus driver in deadly crash arrested
By Eric Bailey, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
1:14 PM PDT, October 6, 2008
SACRAMENTO -- Authorities arrested a bus driver on suspicion of drunk driving early today in the aftermath of a horrific crash on a rural Colusa County roadway that left eight casino-bound passengers dead and 35 others injured.

Quintin Joey Watts, 52, of Stockton was arrested at a nearby hospital where he had been taken with critical injuries, said Officer Bob Kays, a California Highway Patrol spokesman.


"I don't think it can get much worse than this," Kays said, describing the carnage that left the charter bus a crumpled mass of metal sitting in a farmer's rice field.

Among the dead was the owner of the bus, Daniel E. Cobb Sr., 68., of Sacramento, who owns Beeline Tours and Cobbs Bus Service, both based in Sacramento. The charter bus operator had posted an ad last Thursday for a bus driver position.

In addition to Cobbs, the CHP identified the dead as Lou Her and Muang Saephanh, both 68; Meuay Saelee, 74; Fin Saechae, 64; and Khou Yang, 67. All are from Sacramento.
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