Woman jumps to her death from elevated Metro Blue Line tracks

A woman committed suicide by jumping from an elevated portion of the Metro Blue Line tracks in Florence on Wednesday morning.

Authorities said the woman, whose name is being withheld, was between 25 and 28 years old and was known by deputies in the area as someone who had prior mental health issues.

The Sheriff’s Department received a call at 7:23 a.m. reporting that the woman was creating a disturbance near the tracks south of Slauson Station, which are raised about four stories off the ground.

“Right away we closed the tracks in both directions for safety,” said sheriff’s Lt. John Sullivan, watch commander for transit policing division.

Deputies quickly arrived on scene and attempted to talk her away from the edge. She appeared agitated and was yelling and screaming, said Sullivan. At one point, she seemed to be talking to pigeons on the tracks.

“They attempted to talk with her and attempted to get fire personnel in place, but it all went too fast,” Sullivan said.

At 7:43 a.m. she jumped to her death, falling approximately 40 feet.

She was transported from the scene at 7:47 a.m. and pronounced dead at L.A. County USC Medical Center.

According to Sullivan, trying to convince suicidal individuals not to jump is better than physically pulling them away from the edge.

“Grabbing the person could cause them to jump if they’re not going to jump,” said Sullivan. “In the worst case it would cause the deputy to go down with her.”

Rail service was interrupted between the Washington and Florence stations for more than an hour. Single track service was resumed at 8:28 a.m. and full service was restored at 9:30 a.m.

Following normal procedure, buses were brought in to accommodate passengers while the tracks were closed.

“Unfortunately people attempt suicide on trains with a greater frequency than we’d like,” said Sullivan.

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