A man perched on scaffolding 30 feet above the Dolby Theater overnight was taken into custody Saturday morning and will undergo mental evaluation, a police officer said.
"Depending upon his mental status, he might not be arrested. He is
being evaluated," said Officer Jason Lee of the Los Angeles Police
Department's Media Relations Section.
The man was taken into custody about 9 a.m., Lee said. The Dolby
Theater hosts the Academy Awards on Feb. 9, and the temporary scaffolding is erected well in advance for fans and media.
The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the scene in the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard, near Highland Avenue, at 4:30 p.m. Friday and deployed aerial ladders, ground ladders and a rescue air cushion to help the man return to the ground safely, according to Nicholas Prange of the LAFD.
A second air cushion was added around 8 p.m., the department said.
"He's been not very communicative with our negotiators,'' Los Angeles
Police Department Capt. Scott Williams told reporters at the scene Friday
night. "There's some indication that he may be suffering from some mental
illness, but, nonetheless, we're going to continue to negotiate with him."
At 2:50 a.m., the LAPD's Hollywood Division tweeted, "Police activity in the area of Hollywood & Highland has concluded and the area is now open. We want to again thank everyone for their patience as we worked to resolve this.''
The man reportedly left temporarily overnight, but returned.
The surrounding streets were closed for more than 10 hours Friday and
early Saturday.
Metro Red Line trains passed by the Hollywood/Highland Station in the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard throughout the operation.
The Dolby Theater hosts the Academy Awards on Feb. 9.
