Rangers respond to a suicidal and armed suspect
On Wednesday, July 14, 2021, visitors to the Windy Hill Open Space Preserve Called the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space Emergency Dispatch because they saw someone laying in the bushes just off of the Anniversary Trail. They thought the person was acting suspicioiusly and possibly concealing a firearm in their jacket.
Rangers often receive calls about suspicious behavior in the open space preserves and always follow up to investigate though it’s typically difficult to determine if there is a public safety threat based on the initial information from dispatch. This means that Rangers often don’t know whether they’re walking into a false alarm or a crisis.
In this instance, Rangers responded to the call and they met the individual’s mother and girlfriend who gave helpful information. It turned out that the individual had made suicidal threats and was in a position near a peak where he could look down and see Rangers approaching, while remaining concealed. This created additional risk because the person was in possession of a shotgun at the time.
Rangers requested assistance from the San Mateo County Sheriff’s office and immediately began to close the trails in the area while evacuating visitors to secure public safety. The Sheriff’s deputies were able to communicate with the individual and he turned himself in without a weapon and was taken for physiatric evaluation. After a search, a shotgun was recovered at the scene.
The response of Rangers and the de-escalation of Sheriff deputies allowed this situation to be resolved without injury.
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If you support having skilled and trained Rangers ready to respond to public safety emergencies such as this that occur within and surrounding Open Space Lands please contact your elected board members and ask them to return to the negotiations table with the Rangers to offer a benefits package that is consistent with their public safety role.