It sounds like something straight out of an action movie. A mysterious man in a cape leaps from a high rise and escapes capture.
But, it seems fiction turned fact Thursday in Sacramento when a 911 call from a hotel employee warned police about a BASE jumper on top of a building in downtown. But by the time police arrived, the daredevil had jumped, landed and escaped.
The jumper took the plunge off a Sheraton Hotel and landed on a parking structure across the street, ran down the stairs and into a waiting car, police said.
"We definitely don’t want this in our city," said Norm Leong of the Sacramento Police Department.
The acronym BASE comes from building, antenna, span or earth. Leong said there may not be a specific law against BASE jumping but jumpers who are caught can be charged with other violations because of the risks to public safety.
"I think it’s very dangerous," said Joel Torrez, a Sacramento man who was walking by the hotel. "I think that it’s possible the wind could have picked him up and slammed him into the building."
Police echo the obvious concern.
"You don’t always land where you want to land," said Leong. "It’s dangerous to the people (who) are driving by."
