Police chief blogs about naked man walking on I-75
http://woodtv.com/2015/02/02/police-chief-blogs-about-naked-man-walking-on-i-75/AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (WOOD) — It sounds like a pretty unusual 911 call: A 53-year-old Bloomfield Hills man was spotted walking down busy I-75 Sunday while taking off his clothes.
Eventually, the man was strolling naked down the highway in Auburn Hills during a snowstorm wearing only his cowboy hat. A nearby motorist took cellphone video of the incident.
The man’s truck had gone into a ditch. Then, for an unknown reason, he began walking down the highway and shedding his clothes.
While the call may sound unusual, Auburn Hills Police Chief Doreen Olko said the incident is not that odd. Chief Olko writes a blog and posted a lengthy note about the incident Monday.
>>Online: Chief Olko’s blog post
Chief Olko said the sergeant and responding officers immediately recognized that they were probably dealing with a person suffering from “Excited Delirium Syndrome.”
“I don’t know if this man fit the entire profile but it is likely he fit enough of it to end up in this state. Their bodies overheat in an extreme way which is why they take off their clothes,” Olko wrote.
These individuals can be combative, and if they struggle with police, the body may overheat more and go into cardiac arrest.
“When the officers began to talk with him they realized he was delusional,” Olko wrote.
The officers were able to convince the man to get into the patrol car. On the way to the fire station, the man became unresponsive. When they got to the fire station, he became combative. But there was lots of help at the fire station, and paramedics were able to get him to the hospital.
No one was hurt.
“Because the officers recognized the true nature of the call, they may have saved his life,” wrote Olko.
It is unclear if charges will be filed against the man. Right now, police say they just want to make sure he gets the help he needs. He was recovering Monday.
>>Online: Video of the man walking down the road. (Warning: Contains nudity)