Man threatened to jump from bridge in Dale End
BIRMINGHAM city centre was brought to a virtual standstill during the rush hour after a man threatened to commit suicide.
Thousands of people were directed away from Dale End in Priory Queensway after the man perched himself on a bridge and said he was going to throw himself onto the busy road below at 5pm yesterday.
The roads surrounding Priory Queensway were temporarily sealed off while West Midlands Police negotiators tried to talk the man down.
Shops, car parks, businesses, gyms and offices were also forced to close their doors while police redirected crowds and traffic.
The man, who was seen at times either crouching with his legs dangling over the railings or standing, eventually came down from the bridge and police reopened the roads just after 6pm.
Father-of-two Gurjit Singh, aged 28, who works at Dale End Newsagents, said: “This happened around 5pm.
“We saw this man standing on the bridge ready to end his life.
“The police came and sealed the place off.
“We were forced to close and this has disrupted business,” the father-of-two said.
Nadir Elachhab, aged 30, a worker from Ocean Fish chip shop, said: “The police told us to close up but we quickly reopened again.
“There were rumours at first that there was a bomb but then we saw that there was a man on the bridge.
“This has affected business during one of our busiest times.”
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