A naked man found running along Interstate 8 on Wednesday was taken into custody by police, a California Highway Patrol officer said.
A witness called authorities at 11:11 a.m. to report a nude man running in and out of traffic along westbound lanes near Severin Drive, CHP officer Tommy Doerr said. Officers arrived and pointed Tasers at him as a precaution before taking him into custody.
“[The naked man] said he wanted to go to heaven. He was a little unstable that’s why we took him to county mental health for evaluation,” Doerr said.
Police said the unidentified man was involved in a three-vehicle crash nearby and was trying to run away.
Under California law, the man, whose name was withheld, could be hospitalized involuntarily for up to 72 hours if deemed a danger to himself or others.
Traffic along I-8 was slow for about 20 minutes due to the incident, according to CHP.
This story was originally published by KTLA sister station KSWB in San Diego.
