Man threatening to jump taken into custody; traffic reopens

Authorities shut down the southern Las Vegas Beltway for about 30 minutes Monday after a man ran into traffic and threatened to jump from an overpass, police said.

The incident began about 11:30 a.m. with a dispute over a taxi fare between the unidentified man and a Yellow Cab driver near the McCarran International Airport rental car center, Las Vegas police officer Marcus Martin said.

The man ran along the frontage road near the Beltway and Gilespie Street before heading down an embankment and into the westbound lanes of the freeway, Martin said.

He yelled at passing vehicles and then ran up to the Gilespie overpass, where he climbed atop a chain-link fence and threatened to jump. He also yelled at responding officers to shoot him, Martin said.

Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department's Crisis Intervention Team talked the man into surrendering about 12:05 p.m. The shirtless man was handcuffed and looked over by paramedics before being taken for a mental health evaluation.

The freeway and Gilespie Street were reopened about 12:30 p.m.

At 9:15 p.m., the Nevada Highway Patrol closed off U.S. Highway 95 in both directions near Vegas Drive because a person threatened suicide in the area where an overpass spans the highway.