Onlookers' delight turned to horror on Thursday (18Jul13) as what they first thought to be a promotional stunt for the Comic-Con in San Diego, California swiftly emerged as an attempted suicide.

A woman was spotted hanging from the 14th-floor balcony of a condominium building above a parking lot where Universal Pictures and Playboy were gearing up to host a party for the film Kick-Ass 2 and many thought it was a piece of guerilla marketing for the movie.

Elaborate stunts take place in the city every year as the comic book convention comes to town but it soon became clear that the woman was not part of any promo, prompting people on the ground to reportedly shout, "Don't do it! Don't jump!"

Police officials and a representative from Universal confirmed the incident was unrelated to the movie.

Officer Jim Johnson of the San Diego Police Department tole the Los Angeles Times, "The call came in as a jumper. A female hanging from a balcony. There was something thrown from the balcony and she was crying. After some negotiations, she was taken into custody."

The female, whose name was not released, was taken to a county mental health facility.