Scanner traffic at approximately 4:00 p.m. indicates law enforcement, fire, and medical personnel have been dispatched to rural Elk Mountain Road east of Lake Pillsbury regarding reports of a man in a van, down by the river, yelling for help and covered in blood.
Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office is reportedly en route to the incident. Potter Valley Fire has also been dispatched. Potter Valley Fire personnel suggested Lake Pillsbury Fire be dispatched because of their proximity to the rural road.
Responding personnel sought clarity as to the patients known location but the dispatcher insisted the only information that was provided was the patient is somewhere on Elk Mountain Road by a river.
UPDATE 7/15/2021 7:27 a.m.: Mendocino County Sheriff Office’s Public Information Officer Captain Greg Van Patten told us the man bleeding in the white van “turned out to be a suicidal subject that had self cut his arms and was bleeding.”
After deputies arrived at the scene, Captain Van Patten told us the individual was “placed on a mental health hold and transported to the hospital.”
Please remember, if you or a loved one are suffering from mental distress there are many resources that can be accessed including:
- The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-6264, info@nami.org
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): (800) 662-4357
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): (866) 615-6464
- Mental Health America Hotline: Text MHA to 741741
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
- Crisis Text Line: Text CONNECT to 741741
Please remember that this story is unfolding. Information is being reported as we gather it. However, some of the information coming from witnesses and initial official reports could be wrong. We will do our best to get the facts but, in the case that something is inaccurate, we will update with correct information as soon as we can.
Thank you, Matt for adding the Mental Health resources.
I just happened to be in the middle of the responding MCSO and other emergency vehicles.
They were all under the Eel River Bridge ( Van Arsdale ) and the Officers and Emts were getting the man over to the back of the ambulance.
There were quite a few people there enjoying the water at the time.
Hoping for the best outcome !