The Granville Street Bridge remained closed for hours Tuesday after some social media users described a distress situation involving a woman hanging from the bridge during an ongoing police incident. The bridge was shut down in both directions Tuesday afternoon, May 12, causing major traffic disruptions during Vancouver’s rush hour commute.
As the closure stretched late into the evening, an X user shared an update, claiming the woman had been rescued, but the closure remains in place.
However, the Vancouver Police Department, who earlier urged drivers to avoid the area while officers responded to what authorities called an “ongoing police incident," has not officially confirmed those details or shared any update regarding this, as of writing.
However, another X user who shared multiple videos reportedly from the incident claimed that the bridge remained closed late into the night and that the person was still on the side of the scaffolding.
“As of 11:15pm local time the bridge is closed and the person is still on the side of the scaffolding. She’s been over the railing for over 7 hours,” the user wrote.
WATCH: Granville Street Bridge videos online appear to show incident on bridge
Several X users shared videos claiming to be from the incident showing a woman hanging from the bridge while emergency crews responded. Police have not publicly verified the videos circulating online.
The footage and reactions on social media led many users to speculate that the situation may have involved a mental health crisis requiring police de-escalation efforts.
“It’s called de escalating the situation. The person was in complete mental health crisis. Mental health is serious,” one X user wrote while responding to criticism over the lengthy closure.
The shutdown heavily affected traffic entering and leaving downtown Vancouver. Several TransLink bus routes were also rerouted while the bridge remained closed.
