Skyscraper Chutists Enter Pleas

Three people who allegedly parachuted from a Universal City skyscraper pleaded not guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor trespassing charges, authorities said.

John Marx Eagle, 26; Michael Taylor Muscat, 43, and Susan Hunt Runyon, 31, leaped from the Texaco building May 31, said Mike Qualls, a spokesman for the city attorney’s office.

The three climbed an interior ladder to the roof of the 35-story structure about 4 p.m., Qualls said, then waited until 10 p.m. when they took the plunge.

Qualls said people who get their thrills parachuting from city buildings pose a risk to “themselves, as well as people on the ground.”

The alleged chutists were freed on their own recognizance after they entered pleas in Van Nuys Municipal Court, but they will have to return for a September pretrial hearing. If convicted, they could face up to six months in jail and fines of $1,000 apiece, Qualls said.