Man holding ‘Free Billie Eilish’ sign climbs KTLA tower in Hollywood
A man holding a sign that read “Free Billie Eilish” climbed the KTLA-TV Channel 5 tower Tuesday night in Hollywood, snarling traffic in the area as streets were shut down during the hours-long negotiation with the climber.
The Los Angeles Fire Department received reports of a possible jumper at 6:32 p.m. in the 5800 block of West Sunset Boulevard, a spokesperson said.
The man was playing a guitar and holding the handwritten Billie Eilish sign, which also read “MK ultra sex slaves Donald Marshall clones” on the back, KTLA reported.
An LAPD report found that city officers have been involved in 4,203 pursuits since 2018, a quarter of which ended with an injury or death. Nearly half of those collisions ended with injuries to bystanders.
Firefighters deployed an airbag and set up a ladder below the tower as crews tried to get the man to climb down.
The Los Angeles Police Department’s Crisis Negotiation Team worked with firefighters to get the man to climb down the ladder, the LAPD said. After about three hours, he descended around 9:30 p.m., KTLA reported.
The man was arrested on suspicion of trespass, according to the LAPD. His identity hasn’t been released.
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