Updated: A man climbed the KIRO television tower Thursday evening, attracting spectators all across the neighborhood. Fire rescue crews and police raced to the scene, where they shut down Queen Anne Ave. just before 8 p.m.
The man climbed all the way to the top (photo) of the 600-foot tower before gradually heading down, stopping periodically to rest. At one point, he performed a balancing act for the crowd.
After a conversation with police and Seattle Fire rescue crews, the man safely hopped to the ground, where he was taken into police custody.
The scene closed Queen Anne Ave. and attracted well over a hundred people out of homes, restaurants and bars to watch. A softball team a few blocks away spotted the climber. “We saw a guy in red up on the top, moving around,” said Cliff. “Then we just started watching him.”
Spectators packed the sidewalks, snapped photos with their phones, took video, and sent dozens of Tweets from the scene.
The crowd applauded and breathed a sigh of relief when the man finally climbed down from the tower. The Seattle Fire Department’s high angle rescue team was on scene, but did not attempt to climb up after the man. KIRO TV said its engineers worked with police and fire to assess the situation.
“I’m happy he didn’t jump off,” said Jacob, a Queen Anne resident. “It seemed like a big waste of money to have all these trucks come out,” added Lea, who watched as dozens of firefighters and police officers packed up to leave.
A few people told us they recognized the man from around the neighborhood, including two men who said they knew him and that he was distraught. The man wanted to talk to the crowd when he was led into a police car in handcuffs, but police kept him moving. (Thanks Silver for your help!)
Here’s some video. If you have photos, email us at tips@queenanneview.com.