Plymouth Police Save Suicidal Veteran Suffering From PTSD

Plymouth Police saved the life of a suicidal veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, who they said had tied a chain around his neck and to a tree while he attempted to drive forward in his vehicle.

According to a Plymouth Police Facebook post, “a woman called the station hysterical. She was on the phone with her boyfriend who was saying his last goodbyes. He informed her that he was in his vehicle and was going to kill himself.”

Officers searched for the boyfriend’s vehicle and located it in a parking lot in West Plymouth. They said the boyfriend “had taken a heavy-duty chain, wrapped it around a tree, and padlocked it. Sitting in his driver’s seat, he triple-wrapped, then secured the chain around his neck.”

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Police said Officer Roth was first on the scene and saw the vehicle inching forward. He was able to convince the man to stop, and Officer Torrance and Sgt. Reddington arrived and began speaking to the man, discovering that he was a United States Marine Corps vet suffering from PTSD.

Meanwhile, Officer Whelan arrived and put his cruiser and then a second cruiser in front of the man’s vehicle to keep him from moving forward.

“Sgt. Reddington, a USMC veteran, and Officer Torrance, a Navy veteran, were able to share stories with the man, forming a bond that only veterans can,” police wrote. “Eventually, they were able to coax the man into putting the vehicle in park, giving up his keys, handing over a razor, and finally were allowed to take the chains from his neck.”

The man was then attended to by the Plymouth Police clinician, helping him with treatment options.

“Veterans’ PTSD could not be more real. We have seen it hundreds of times with our brave veterans in Plymouth over the past couple of decades,” police wrote. “Hug your veteran. Love your veteran. Take care of your veterans.”