Friend Says Tulsa Police Are Lying About Man Who Was On 1-244 Bridge

A Tulsa man spent nearly all day Friday pacing an Interstate 244 bridge until police talked him down.

But a friend of the man's said police are lying about what happened next.

Daryl Kaiser paced back and forth for 8 hours on the utility bridge near Lewis Avenue, which caused state authorities to close down miles of the Interstate.

When he finally came down, Tulsa police say Kaiser began punching officers, and they indicated he now could face assault and battery charges.

"This is a successful resolution," TPD Capt. Ryan Perkins. "I'm very relieved. I'm very happy to see him taken into custody."

6/7/2014 Related Story: Man On Tulsa Bridge Comes Down After 8 Hours; I-244 Open Again

Jennifer Kiesewetter says -- as you might imagine -- it's not easy seeing a friend in that state.

But she claims Kaiser never hurt officers and that an accusation that he assaulted them is harming him.

Kiesewetter said she was there for 6 of those hours, standing just 40 feet from where police tackled Kaiser after he walked off the bridge.

She said Kaiser never threw a punch at officers and her friend is severely depressed, just lost his job and is dealing with several family issues.

"And they just threw him down, and they were on top of him," Kiesewetter said. "And there was like ten of them just on him. He had not a second to try to swing on anybody."

Officers say Kaiser is being evaluated by mental health experts and said Kaiser never gave a reason for being on the bridge.

Kiesewetter said police were wrong in how they handled it and filing charges would be the worst thing for Kaiser.

"I think he needs some counseling maybe to help him figure out what's going on," she said.

Perkins said police are concerned about Kaiser.

He also stressed officers spent 8 hours getting him to safety while thousands of drivers had to detour off a major Tulsa Interstate.

Perkins says now it's in the district attorney's hands.

Kaiser also is a registered sex offender who is on probation for sex crimes against a child and assault and aggravated battery.