Shirtless, barefoot man in custody after climbing crane 200 feet above Hollywood’s tourist district

A man who spent about three hours atop a construction crane 200 feet above ground in Hollywood’s tourist district was taken into custody Sunday evening.

Paramedics were evaluating the man, who scaled the crane barefoot and shirtless, said Amy Bastman, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, he was holding an American flag.

The spectacle was reported about 5:20 p.m. Fire officials, including members of the Urban Search and Rescue program, responded to the construction site at 6140 W. Hollywood Blvd.

They placed an air cushion on the ground in case the man fell or jumped, while crisis negotiators tried to coax him to come down safely.

After several hours, he descended, leapt onto scaffolding next to the crane and then stepped onto the roof of a building, where Los Angeles police officers detained him.

Authorities were about to deploy drones to see what was happening on top of the crane. Before they did, the man came down, Bastman said.

It’s unclear how he accessed the crane or why he decided to climb to the top.

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek

UPDATES:

9:15 p.m.: This article was updated to reflect the man was taken into custody.

This article was originally published at 8 p.m.