"I am just happy I could help:" MCSO Deputy rescues man off Hoan Bridge wall

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MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Next week will mark National Police Week, a time to honor those who serve our communities like Deputy Ryan Kearns. 

Nearly two months ago, he pulled a man off the Hoan Bridge Wall. He was out driving on I-43 when he spotted a disabled car. He then got the call that someone driving by reported they saw a man straddling the wall. 

Kearns was first on the scene. 

“Him and I, there was no one else on scene, and there was at least a 500-foot drop on the other side," said Deputy Ryan Kearns. 

Kearns tried convincing the man to come down from the wall but he refused. 

“He didn’t like me being there. He put his hand out and told me to stop so I didn’t want to press him to do anything rash without having a chance to talk to him so I slowed down and stopped," said Kearns. 

With Kearns quick thinking, he started asking him about his car and said he couldn't hear him as an excuse to get closer. When he got close enough, the man reached out to give him his cellphone. 

"I could see his wrist. I saw that as my one opportunity to be close to him so I grabbed his wrist and pulled him off the wall," said Kearns. 

After the man was rescued, he was taken to a mental health facility to be checked out. Kearns says he relied on his training to de-escalate the situation. 

“I was just happy I could help him with whatever he was going through that night. He may have made a decision that would have affected a lot more people," said Kearns. 

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