It's Friday night around 10:00 and I've just finished my last batch of edit and pre-press for the Sports Department. A call came out over our scanner that implied there was a man trying to commit suicide. My editor calls and asked me what's going on, I tell him what I've heard on the radio and we both agree it's time for me to go home.
As a photojournalist, I often get detoured, it's...
more »

It's Friday night around 10:00 and I've just finished my last batch of edit and pre-press for the Sports Department. A call came out over our scanner that implied there was a man trying to commit suicide. My editor calls and asked me what's going on, I tell him what I've heard on the radio and we both agree it's time for me to go home.
As a photojournalist, I often get detoured, it's just part of the job (or should I say adventure) and as I drove to the freeway I noticed that the activity all around me did not match what I had heard on the radio. Police had blocked off at least 5 blocks in all directions from a center point.
I sighed and picked up my phone to call the Glendale Police PIO. My instinct was confirmed. It was a man who ran from a traffic stop to his apartment and got a gun.
Getting close to the action is not as easy as it should be these days with barricades of yellow tape which depending on the situation I can normally cross, but there are times it?s impossible and we all struggle with this situation. I have to thank Tom Lorenz the PIO for the Glendale Police Department for getting me close enough to do my job.
Now in normal situations this wouldn't be so unusual, but the suspect ran to the roof of the apartment and the situation turned into how to get him down. Glendale Police Department called in their SWAT team, of course the Police Dogs were there and called not just the Paramedics, which would be routine, but a ladder truck as well.
It's not every day you get to see a SWAT team climb a fire engine ladder, but tonight was the night.
The Fire Department and the Police Department worked for more than and hour trying to come up with a plan to keep their men safe while taking the suspect on the roof into custody.
After a little more than three hours they were successful and took their man into custody without incidence.
« less