Wall Climber Risks Life to Tout Web Site

In a climate of desperation among Internet companies, Giovanni Lemm may have climbed to new heights.

Determined to promote his new Web site, Lemm tied up downtown traffic and public safety resources for three hours Tuesday morning as he climbed 26 stories up the side of a high-rise while trailing a banner with his Web address.

Lemm, 32, a rock climber, began his journey up the Wells Fargo building at 333 S. Grand Ave. about 3 a.m. Fire and police personnel responded shortly after 6:15 a.m. when security guards spotted Lemm clinging to the north side of the building at the 16th floor.

Lemm kept inching his way up the 54-story building, using a harness and lever held together with a single bolt, which was wedged into a vertical rail used for window washing equipment.

“He was trusting his life to a piece of metal,” said Det. James Tiampo. “He was a danger to himself and a danger to the public.”

The episode ended about 9:40 a.m. when Lemm allowed firefighters two floors above him to pull him inside through a 26th-floor window using a safety harness.

He was booked on a charge of trespassing, which carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and could include a fine requiring him to repay city agencies about $20,000 in costs, Tiampo said.

“I went into this knowing I could be arrested,” Lemm said in an interview at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division. “All I can think is that maybe it will bring more people to my Web site.”

His site offers calendars, coffee mugs and T-shirts featuring Lemm sitting on a toilet in various locations. The site broadcast a live Webcast of his ascent, capturing him in a bright orange jumpsuit with the name of his Web site on the back.

Some of the estimated 3,500 workers inside the Wells Fargo building who returned to their offices to log on to the site were dismayed by the toilet pictures.

A friend of Lemm, Tony Francisco, described him as “a thrill seeker” who is also a kick boxer and former model.

Authorities deployed eight fire engines, two dozen firefighters and 20 LAPD officers, said Lt. Paul Geggie. “All so this guy could sell more calendars and coffee mugs,” Geggie said.

“When you talk about the resources we have tied up here, there should be a way to enhance” the charge beyond trespassing, said Sgt. John Pasquariello.

As firefighters set up an air bag below Lemm, police shut down traffic on Grand Avenue between 1st and 4th streets and closed some sidewalks to pedestrians.

When Lemm was finally escorted out of the building and into a police car, several people in the crowd cheered.

Julio Olvera, a messenger who watched the incident for nearly an hour, said he applauded Lemm for capturing so much attention. Corey Bishop, who watched from across the street, said he cheered firefighters and police for their ability to get Lemm down safely.

Suggested Sharon Arestegui, 42, a receptionist who works on the 32nd floor, “He’s probably thinking about what kind of trouble he’ll be in once they get him in.”

But that was not what Giovanni Lemm was thinking about as he sat, handcuffed, on a bench in the Central Division waiting to be booked. “I won’t know how many hits I got [on the Web site] until I get home,” he said.