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Published on April 10, 2025
West Palm Beach Police Department Responds to Individual on I-95 On-ramp
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (April 10, 2025) -- The West Palm Beach Police Department responded to reports of an individual walking and standing on the southbound I-95 on-ramp from Okeechobee Blvd around 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, April 9. Several 911 callers advised the individual was walking in and out of traffic and climbing over the on-ramp wall.
With the assistance of Florida Highway Patrol, I-95 traffic below the ramp was temporarily shut down.
West Palm Beach Police Officer John Bangs, who was recognized by CIT International in 2021 as the Crisis Intervention Officer of the Year, was first to arrive on scene and immediately built a rapport with the individual. Verbal de-escalation efforts by Officer Bangs and the Hostage Negotiation Unit were successful, resulting in the surrender of the individual to police around 11:50 a.m.
Investigation revealed the individual was suffering from a mental health crisis and was turned over to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Crisis Response Team. The individual was transported to a nearby medical facility for services.
Case no.: 20250005347
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Rachel Leitao
Public Information Officer
pdpio@wpb.org