From:               Hannibal Police Department

 Date:                June 3, 2011

 Phone:             573-221-0987      Fax:    573-221-3966

 Contact:           Chief Lyndell R. Davis

 

 

While on foot patrol Thursday night in the area near the Mark Twain Hotel Apartments in the 200 block of South Main officers observed a white adult male later identified as a 32 year old, Hannibal man hanging partially off the edge of the roof on the backside of the building at 11:43 pm.  Officers attempted to make contact with the subject who appeared less than rational and somewhat agitated.  The subject continued to position himself in an increasingly hazardous position on the rooftop edge and to defy officer’s requests to back away for the edge.  Officers made contact with the building maintenance personnel to obtain access to the rooftop but the access available proved to be problematic due to the proximity of the access to the subject in question.  Officers requested the assistance from the Hannibal Fire Department to allow HPD officers use of the ladder truck to access the front of the building.  The use of the truck was provided and three HPD officers climbed the ladder to access the roof.  Two of the officers accessing the rooftop were specially trained in negotiating skills and began conversing with the subject.  After using tactics to win the subject’s trust including allowing him to converse with people he claimed to be comfortable with he was convinced to move away from the edge after which he was handcuffed at 2:25 am without further incident and brought down to ground level and transported to Hannibal Regional Hospital for a medical and mental evaluation.