09/23/2024
"A woman called the station hysterical. She was on the phone with her boyfriend who was saying his last goodbyes.
He informed her that he was in his vehicle and was going to kill himself.
Officers began looking for the boyfriend's vehicle and located it in a parking lot in West Plymouth.
The man had taken a heavy-duty chain, wrapped it around a tree, and padlocked it. Sitting in his driver's seat, he triple-wrapped, then secured the chain around his neck.
Officer Roth was the first to arrive and saw the vehicle inching forward. He was able to coax the man to stop.
Officer Torrance and Sgt. Reddington arrived. They quickly found out that the man was a USMC Veteran and was suffering from PTSD.
As Officer Torrance and Sgt. Reddington were talking to the man, Officer Whelan quickly pulled his cruiser in front of the vehicle to stop forward movement. He exited his cruiser, then pulled a second cruiser in front of the vehicle.
Sgt. Reddington, a USMC Veteran, and Officer Torrance, A Navy Veteran, were able to share stories with the man, forming a bond that only Veterans can.
Eventually, they were able to coax the man into putting the vehicle in park, giving up his keys, handing over a razor, and finally were allowed to take the chains from his neck.
Needless to say, this incident was extremely emotional for all involved.
Veteran's PTSD could not be more real. We have seen it hundreds of times with our Brave Veterans in Plymouth over the past couple of decades. Hug your Veteran. Love your Veteran. Take care of your Veterans.
Once again, this is only one incident that our Officers respond to. Studies show that the average Police Officer goes on 200 critical/horrific incidents throughout the course of their careers. (Most American citizens witness 1.5 according to the study).
We commend the job that our Officers do on a daily basis.
Excellent Job Officers Torrance, Whelan, Roth, and Sergeant Reddington. You gentlemen saved another life."
