Woman walking on Bay Bridge with knife in custody, delays persist

Traffic was almost backed up to the Interstate Highway 980 interchange in Oakland Sunday evening after all westbound lanes of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge were closed for about 35 minutes late afternoon, the California Highway Patrol said.

The lanes were closed because a woman was walking around on the bridge just west of the toll plaza, apparently walking through the toll plaza headed west, said CHP Officer Bert Diaz. The CHP got the first call about 4:25 p.m. Sunday.

The woman, who had a knife in her hand, did not threaten officers or anyone else, and did not threaten to jump off the bridge, Diaz said. The woman was taken into custody shortly after 5 p.m., and four of the bridge’s five lanes were reopened moments later, Diaz said.

The woman was put onto a waiting ambulance to receive a physical examination, Diaz said.

By 6 p.m. Sunday, westbound traffic into San Francisco was backed up well into Oakland, and delays were expected to persist for a while, Diaz said.