Accused child rapist attempts to end his life to avoid arrest, rescued from OKC rooftop

A man who attempted to kill himself to avoid arrest was rescued from an Oklahoma City rooftop.

Friday, armed with an arrest warrant for Levi Rashel, warrant squad deputies with the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office arrived at an apartment complex near Northwest 23rd St. and North Ann Arbor Ave.

Wanted for child sex crimes, refusing to surrender, Rashel jumped out of his apartment window.

Deputy: Sheriff's office! Levi, step out.            

Realizing Levi Rashel had slipped out of his apartment, deputies, with guns drawn, ran after him. Deputies found Rashel perched on the roof of his apartment.

Deputy: You’re coming down now!      

Rashel scrambled into a tree — and using a razor, cut both his arms.

Deputy: He's cutting his wrists now. He's bleeding bad. Levi, this ain’t worth it dude! Levi come down here.

With blood pouring from his arms the arrest mission turned into a rescue.

Deputy: Have fire get something to catch him — out of a tree.

“Now we’re there to save a life, because we want to make sure you get that day in court,” said Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson.                           

Deputies scrambled onto the rooftop where Rashel was lying, badly wounded and unconscious from blood loss. Balancing on the roof, straddling the roofline for stability, deputies and police worked to stop any further bleeding.

Police: Tell them tourniquet time now! Tourniquet, tourniquet!       

First responders: Here we go Levi, deep breaths.         

Working together, first responders were able to move Rashel from the roof and back onto the ground. Rashel was transported to the hospital, where he’s expected to recover.

Rashel is charged with having sex with a 15-year-old. Investigators found her journals in which she claimed Rashel forced her to have sex and threatened to harm himself or her if she didn't. 

Rashel remains hospitalized but is expected to survive.