The Ministry of the Interior recognized on Tuesday the work of three police officers who dissuaded and restrained a 17-year-old girl that attempted suicide last week throwing himself from the tunnel of October 8.
The young woman tried to take her own life. two days in a row and in the same way, but in both situations officials from the Ministry of the Interior acted to convince her otherwise. The first attempt was on Friday, March 17, and the second one a day later.
In a video that circulated on social networks – and that was shared by the director of Coexistence and Citizen Security, Santiago González – it can be seen as one of the officials walk on the parapets of the tunnel to get to the girl. After a brief dialogue, she sees herself as manages to approach and finally hug the teenager.
That policeman was Juan Brum, one of those distinguished by the ministry, who told the press that he was “at the right time” in the right place. “At the time I didn’t think about it, I went and acted“, he pointed.
Brum intervened in the suicide attempt on Friday, together with Daniel Suluaga, Transit police officer of the Montevideo Headquarters, who was also recognized for his work.
Asked about the hug with the young woman, Brum assured: “I slowly approached her, she was very bad and when I arrived I extended my arms to grab her. The hug started from there.”
Capture Ministry of the Interior
From left to right: police officers Nildo Moreno, Juan Brum and Daniel Suluaga.
Suluaga, for his part, said that he was circulating in the Parque Batlle area when he received Brum’s request for support in the face of the suicide attempt.
“We see a crowd of people and we see compañero Brum walking along the parapet, he had crossed the containment barrier and was mediating,” said the official.
It was then that he decided to cut traffic through the tunnel. “I did not hesitate to jump the containment barrier and support my partner. It is there that Brum manages to mediate with her and reaches an agreement containment hug to prevent it from jumping“, summarized.
The young woman was rescued that day, but 24 hours later she tried to throw herself out of the tunnel again. that saturday was Nildo Moreno who intervened in the operation, the third policeman distinguished by the ministry.
“I have a daughter almost the same age.”Moreno, an ensign who was in the area when he received the call from the Unified Command Center (CCU), told the press.
“The CCU communicates the situation and we were just a few meters. It was intuitive get out of the truck and try to establish communication with the girl,” recalled the police officer.
Both Moreno and Brum stressed that they had never had to act in a similar episode. “I have a 28-year police career with a 20-year-old daughter and I would not like the same thing to happen to any of them.. It had never happened to me in so many years as a police officer”Moreno stated.
The director of the National Police, José Manuel Azambuya, recognized the work of the police officers and assured that this type of action is what they are trying to encourage in the force. “There are several situations that are part of the study plans at the Police School, they are prepared for this type of situation. There are more complex levels than others, which have to carry out other types of units. This is a first line of containment “, explained the hierarch.
“The first thing that prevailed here was the initiative“, Azambuya highlighted about the “daring” and “attachment” of the officials.
