A video showing Port Arthur Police Officer Jeremy Bearden save a man who was standing on the edge of the Veterans Memorial Bridge has gone viral.

The drama unfolded around midnight Tuesday when a pursuit by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers crossed into the city. Port Arthur Police Det. Mike Hebert said the pursuit, from what he understands, stemmed from a traffic stop.

https://youtu.be/QySc3GX07kQ

“The individual drove to the top of the Veterans Memorial Bridge and climbed out on the top rail,” Hebert said. “It is my understanding that Officer George Clark struck up a conversation or tried to negotiate with the individual. Officer Bearden, as seen on the video, came up from behind and reached over and grabbed the individual and pulled him back.”

The man, whose name has not been released, was then brought to a mental health facility. But this wasn’t the man’s first encounter with the bridge. In 2012 he actually did jump from the bridge and, from what Hebert was told, received massive injuries.

“We are very proud of what these officers did,” he said. “So many times there is a tragic ending to these incidents. This wasn’t one of them, thanks to their efforts.”

Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to save others on a daily basis and Tuesday’s incident wasn’t the first time an officer saved a person from jumping.

“About two years ago Det. (Sadie) Guedry encountered a very similar situation with a female who was also on the outside of the rail and was able to pull the individual back.”

During this encounter the individual was on the Martin Luther King Jr. Bridge connecting the city to Pleasure Island.

Hebert said they receive such calls several times per year and dealing with these incidents comes with experience and training. The department has officers trained in mental health issues.