Suspect jumps from bridge after Fort Worth police end chase, authorities say

A man being pursued by Fort Worth police jumped from a bridge Friday afternoon just moments after officers ended the chase, authorities said.

The incident began about 2:30 p.m., when officers responded to a report that a stolen vehicle might be in the 2500 block of NE 28th Street, according to Fort Worth police spokesman Officer Buddy Calzada. Officers located the vehicle and began a pursuit.

Calzada said officers soon learned the suspect was suicidal and related to the vehicle's owner. Because of that information, the police ended the chase.

After the pursuit was terminated, officers saw the vehicle stopped on the Haltom Road overpass above Loop 820 in Haltom City. Police began giving commands for the driver to get out, Calzada said, but a passerby told officers he had seen the man jump from the overpass onto the freeway below.

Officers looked over the bridge and saw the man lying near the shoulder of Loop 820. They provided medical aid until paramedics arrived. The man was taken to a hospital and is expected to survive, Calzada said.

No other injuries were reported. The express lanes and two additional lanes of the freeway were shut down during the investigation.