L.A. Man Talked Down From Crane, Arrested

A man who scaled an 18-story construction crane in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday night climbed down after about eight hours and was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism, police said.

Kevin Donaldson, 43, of Los Angeles told officers that he had not seen his children in seven years and was despondent, police said. A crisis intervention team talked Donaldson down about 3 a.m. Friday.

Authorities received a call about 7:30 p.m. Thursday that a man had climbed onto the boom of a crane on a construction site at 1st and Main streets near City Hall, said Los Angeles Police Officer Renee Montoya.

Donaldson, a former crane operator from Montana, rotated the cab before police shut off power, officials said.

A representative from Clark Construction, the company in charge of the site development, said crane operators lock the cab before leaving for the day, but that power remains on. Donaldson broke into the cab by smashing a window, said Peter Loedding, the company’s senior project manager.

Loedding said that the construction site is surrounded by a fence bearing “no trespassing” signs. Security guards patrol the area on the weekends, he said.