Man Attempts Suicide in Urbandale Police Parking Lot

Urbandale Police officers didn't have far to go on a call about an attempted suicide at 9:20 p.m. on June 2. It happened in their parking lot.

A 28-year-old man had just been released from a holding cell at the Urbandale police station after being arrested on a drunken driving charge.

Lt. Rob Johansen said police often will release intoxicated people if someone will come to pick them up and sign to be responsible for their safety until they are sober.

"We don't release anybody who's intoxicated without that, just for that reason," he said.

The man was released to the custody of a woman who told police that when he got into her car, he took a bunch of pills and "said he just didn't care anymore."

So the woman called police and they came out to the car and took the man to Iowa Lutheran Hospital.

Johansen didn't know what kind of pills the man took, but said if he had them when he was arrested and had a valid prescription for them, they would have been returned to him when he was released.