CHP officer tackles, detains man walking on S.F. Bay Bridge

SAN FRANCISCO — A California Highway Patrol officer detained a man found walking against Bay Bridge upper-deck mid-span traffic Wednesday, authorities said.

At 7:24 p.m., the CHP received reports of a male pedestrian walking eastbound toward Treasure Island in the north-most or No. 5 westbound I-80 lane of the bridge’s western span, CHP Officer Mark Andrews said.

When an officer arrived, he found the man and issued commands to stop. When the man did not respond, the officer approached him and an altercation happened.

Seconds later, several people Andrews identified only as “Good Samaritans” got out of another vehicle and began helping the officer detain the man. Two of the people who got out of their vehicle to help the officer can be seen hitting the pedestrian in a video shot by a Bay Area News Group reporter.

All westbound I-80 lanes were briefly blocked by the incident but the CHP did not issue a Sig-alert. By 8 p.m., only the bridge’s No. 5 remained closed.

The CHP officer sustained an injury, but its severity was not immediately available, Andrews said. There was no word on any injuries the pedestrian might have sustained, but an ambulance was dispatched to the scene. There was no word of damage to the bridge or associated vehicles.

All traffic on the Bay Bridge stopped briefly just now as highway patrol tackled a man walking toward Oakland on foot on the top deck of the bridge. pic.twitter.com/hMDwQRBdEs

— Aldo Toledo (@aldot29) May 5, 2022

You can see the other people trying to help the police apprehend the guy more clearly in this video. One guy is seen repeatedly hitting him. pic.twitter.com/18ybrkEBpo

— Aldo Toledo (@aldot29) May 5, 2022

Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.