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H Street Bridge in Lompoc closed for three hours during police investigation

Posted at 9:17 PM, Dec 13, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-14 00:17:14-05

A man was taken into custody after an incident that blocked traffic for several hours on the H Street Bridge in Lompoc Thursday.

Police were called to the bridge shortly before 5 p.m. Officers had received reports about a man who may have been in crisis

When they arrived on the scene, they say they found William Morales, 32, near the edge of the bridge. They tried to contact him using a phone, but officers say Morales made verbal threats to officers over the phone and said he was possibly armed. Police say he threatened both police and the public, and an armored vehicle was brought to the scene.

Police say they were eventually able to approach Morales when he was inside his car, and they started negotiating with him in person. Police say the negotiation lasted nearly an hour, but eventually, they say Morales walked around the bridge making threats, reaching into his backpack, and using his cane as a potential weapon.

Officers say he was challenging them and walking towards them in a threatening manner. At some point, officers decided to use less lethal impact munition. They were able to take him into custody without incident, and they say he had only minor injuries.

The entire incident lasted more than three hours, and the bridge was closed for the full investigation.