VIDEO: Sheriff's deputy saves suicidal inmate from jumping at Los Angeles jail

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A sheriff's deputy at the downtown Los Angeles Twin Towers Correctional Facility jumped into action to save a suicidal inmate from jumping off a second-level walkway.

The incident, which was caught on surveillance footage, happened very quickly. In the video, the inmate can be seen clearly climbing the railing of the second-story walkway and Deputy Clarissa Torres swiftly moving in to grab his arm just as he let go.

"As he came out, he was walking toward the stairs. I was allowing his cellmate to come out of the cell when I saw the inmate's coffee drop, which is what originally caught my attention, so I immediately turned and saw he climbed over the railing," Torres said.

Torres, who's about half the size of the inmate she managed to keep from dropping, credits her co-workers for stepping in quickly.

"I looked up and I saw the inmate jumping, and then I realized Torres actually reached through the railings and grabbed his arm, and he was just like hanging there," Deputy Lima said.

"I was at the bottom when he attempted to jump so I grabbed his legs, and pretty much my other partners helped me out by grabbing his legs and us bringing him down safely," Deputy Santian said.

The incident occurred on June 22 in the facility's Module 162, which houses about 190 mentally ill inmates, the sheriff's department reported. The inmates were leaving their cells to attend group therapy, a session the inmate on suicide watch had requested to attend.

"I love my job and I want to do my job right, and part of that is to protect them and that's all we did. We just did our job that day," Torres said.