Bridge's upper deck reopens - 'unstable' man held

(11-11) 09:19 PST SAN FRANCISCO -- A "mentally unstable" man stopped his sport utility vehicle on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge this morning and threatened to jump off the span or blow it up, forcing officials to close the westbound direction for two hours, the California Highway Patrol said.

The man, who had his 16-year-old daughter in the SUV, was taken into custody without incident at 8 a.m., about an hour after he got out of the car and began calling police and at least one radio station. The girl was unharmed, CHP Sgt. Trent Cross said.

The upper deck reopened to traffic at about 9 a.m., after authorities drove the SUV off the bridge to San Francisco. No explosives were found in the car or on the bridge, Cross said.

Television pictures showed the man standing on the span outside his car near the center anchorage west of Treasure Island, talking on a cell phone. He sat on the railing at times and, at one point, brought one of his legs over the rail.

"He was talking to negotiators and calling 911," Cross said. "He would become very agitated and hang up and then call back. This is someone who is truly mentally unstable."

Cross said the man had also called a radio station. The man reportedly said he was upset that his wife was cheating on him.

All San Francisco-bound traffic on the upper deck of the Bay Bridge came to a halt as a result of the standoff, and cars in the toll plaza were turned around. The lower deck remained open throughout the incident, and traffic headed to the East Bay was unaffected.

Although the bridge has reopened, traffic on the westbound approaches remains congested.