A man was saved when firemen and security personnel managed to stop him from leaping off the 14th floor of an uncompleted shopping and hotel complex

Man rescued from leaping off 14th floor

MIRI: A middle-aged man was saved when firemen and security personnel managed to stop him from leaping off the 14th floor of an uncompleted shopping and hotel complex here.

The drama unfolded about 11am yesterday when passers-by saw a man climbing up the scaffolding of the hotel tower adjoining the three-storey shopping complex by the busy Miri-Lutong highway.

The situation became tense when the man reached the 14th floor and then stood precariously on the edge of the scaffolding, preparing to jump onto the streets below.

Alerted by the crowd, security personnel called the police and the fire department.

Several firemen climbed the scaffolding and managed to reach the man.

Some workers were seen trying to talk to him to get his attention.

The firemen closed in quietly and managed to grab him from below and from inside the building, before the man realised that he was being ambushed.

Shouts were heard as the man struggled with his rescuers. He was then bundled into the safety of the building.

The man, still struggling and cursing, was then handcuffed and led out of the building into a patrol car by two policemen.

Police later interrogated him. Apparently, the suicide attempt was related to a personal problem between the man and his family.

Police are expected to produce him in court today for a remand order pending further investigations.