Police find suicidal man at Irvine church

Police were dispatched to Mariners Church in Irvine Tuesday after receiving a report that there was possibly a despondent man in the area carrying a gun.

Irvine police carrying handguns and rifles found the man conscious, but unresponsive, face down in the grass on the church at 5001 Newport Coast Drive. The man had taken a large dose of prescription medication in an apparent suicide attempt, said Lt. Barry Aninag.

A gun was found near the man but he hadn’t fired the weapon, Aninag said.

Authorities reported that, according to the man’s brother, the man had recently been diagnosed with cancer and was depressed. The brother, who lives out of state, called police when he could not reach his sibling, police said. Officers’ investigation led them to search near Mariners Church.

The man is being treated at a local hospital and will undergo a mental health evaluation, police said.

—Joseph Serna