This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
When Comic-Con attendees saw a woman dangling from a balcony in San Diego, they initially thought that they might be witnessing some sort of guerilla marketing stunt instead of a real-life suicide attempt.
In a parking lot below, Universal Pictures and Playboy were getting ready to host a party for "Kick-Ass 2." Once it became obvious the woman had nothing to do with some sort of (tasteless) movie promo, a group of stuntmen working the event kicked into high gear.
Three stuntmen from the Los Angeles-based 911 Stunts scaled a fence, asked a security guard for access to the 14th floor and managed to get into the woman's apartment, police told City News Service. Gregg Sargeant grabbed her, while Scott Schecter and Amus Carver strapped her into a harness, according to the Union-Tribune. A crowd below cheered.
This all happened around 2:40 p.m. on Thursday. The stuntmen said the woman had thrown a bottle of vodka over the balcony and was obviously distraught and crying. Sargeant says he didn't feel like a real-life hero: "It's what we do every day for stunts. It happened so fast and we just responded. When police came, we left. Everybody’s OK - that’s the important thing."
San Diego police Lt. Kevin Mayer told the Tribune the stuntmen were the right people at the right time, "It was very dangerous. I’ve seen attempted suicides when someone grabs them and is pulled over."
Police took the woman to a county mental health facility.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone, remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt, and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
