Hermosa police followed a suicide note, an empty gun case and a pay phone number to stop a suicide attempt by a man with a loaded gun.
Officers and detectives went to a Hermosa home last Wednesday in response to a phone call from a man in his 50s who claimed he was going to kill himself. They found an empty gun case, missing ammunition and a suicide note left inside the man’s bedroom.
During the search, the man called a female friend’s cell phone and police were able to trace his call to a pay phone in Torrance.
Detective Sgt. Raul Saldana and Detective David Bohacik responded to the pay phone and found the man still talking on the phone.
Using their training in defusing high stress situations, Saldana and Bohacik identified themselves as police officers and talked the man into cooperating with them.
“The detectives were able to cautiously approach the subject and safely take him into protective custody without incident,” Detective Mick Gaglia said. “The subject’s loaded gun was recovered at the scene. He then told the detectives that he had every intention to kill himself using his gun.”
The man was taken to Harbor General Hospital in Carson for a 72-hour psychiatric evaluation, police said. ER
