Man Falls From Dallas Overpass After Standoff Shut I-20 and I-45 for Hours

Updated 22:58 UTC, October 22

Dallas police confirmed the man fell from the overpass and died, The Dallas Morning News reported. The Dallas County medical examiner confirmed the death and has not released the man's name because his next of kin had not been notified as of Thursday afternoon. Police have not said why the man was on the overpass or what led to the fall. The interchange and most lanes had reopened by Thursday afternoon. Eastbound I-20 remained closed at the interchange as of the latest update on Thursday.

A man fell from a highway overpass in southeast Dallas on Thursday afternoon, ending a standoff that shut down Interstate 20 and Interstate 45 in all directions for hours and backed up traffic for miles across the south side of the city. The fall was recorded on bystander livestreams. Dallas police later said the man died.

Dallas police said officers responded to a call at the interchange at about 9:40 a.m. on Thursday, near the eastbound I-20 ramp and the northbound I-45, known locally as the Julius Schepps Freeway. FOX 4 reported that officers were called to the scene at around 10 a.m. Both highways were closed in the area soon after.

Bystander video shot from the roadways below showed a man standing on top of a light-colored sedan that had stopped on the upper deck of the interchange. Images from the SKY 4 helicopter showed officers trying to speak with a man standing at the side of the bridge. SWAT vehicles and ambulances were also on the overpass, FOX 4 reported.

The interchange links I-20, the east-west freeway across the south of Dallas, with I-45, the main route south toward Houston. Both carry heavy truck traffic. Aerial pictures from CBS News Texas showed long lines of trucks and cars at a standstill on both interstates, and NewsRadio 1080 KRLD advised drivers to avoid the interchange and use Loop 12 to the north and Belt Line Road to the south.

Officers spent hours trying to talk the man down. In the early afternoon, livestreams recorded by witnesses showed the man, who had moved to the outside of the bridge railing, fall from the bridge. People watching those streams live reported the same moment, independently of one another.

What is confirmed and what is not

Police have confirmed the closures, the response at the interchange, and that officers tried to speak with the man on the bridge. Police later confirmed the man fell from the overpass and died, and the Dallas County medical examiner confirmed the death. The medical examiner has not released the man's name or age because his next of kin had not been notified as of Thursday afternoon. Police have not said why the man was on the overpass or what led to the fall.

One detail in the early coverage needs care. FOX 4's first report said officers were called on Friday. Today is Thursday, October 22, and WFAA, citing Dallas police, put the first response at about 9:40 a.m. on Thursday.

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