WESTMINSTER : Man Climbs Tower but Is Talked Down
A 27-year-old transient armed with a pellet gun climbed a utility pole Monday afternoon near the San Diego Freeway, but police talked him down without incident, authorities said.
Police Sgt. Tom Pixler said the man was distraught over losing his job and had threatened to commit suicide. He was not charged with any crime but was held for a mental evaluation, Pixler said.
At about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, Westminster police received a report that a man was climbing an electrical tower north of the San Diego Freeway at Beach Boulevard.
The man, who had taken a pellet gun with him, had climbed about 80 feet when officers arrived, Pixler said, but he dropped the gun without being asked.
The incident briefly caused traffic jams along Beach Boulevard and on the northbound San Diego Freeway. During that time, police and California Highway Patrol officers closed part of Beach between Edinger and McFadden avenues and also closed a freeway on-ramp and off-ramp at Beach.
About 25 employees and several customers at a nearby car dealership took refuge inside a building for an hour until police talked the man down.
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