Suicide bid with sword foiled by airbag

A 27-year-old Mesa man apparently tried to kill himself yesterday by rigging a sword to his steering wheel and ramming his car through a wall.

Nathan Ryan's car ended up at the bottom of a swimming pool in the 1300 block of North Dakota Street in Chandler, and he went to the hospital with wounds that were not a threat to his life, said Sgt. Joe Favazzo, Chandler police spokesman.



The handle of the 24-inch sword was positioned against the instrument panel with the blade sticking through the steering wheel. It was tied into place with a T-shirt. Ryan then drove his car through the block wall, but the airbag deployed and bent the sword.

The choice of the home seems to be random, Favazzo said. “For whatever reason, he chose that wall at that time and made it happen as best he could,” Favazzo said.