Jumper Or Selfie Stunt? Drone-Wielding Man Climbs Historic OC Water Tower
SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A man dressed in all black and wielding a drone refused for several hours Tuesday to come down from a historic water tower near the Santa Ana (5) Freeway after apparently threatening to jump.
Police responded to the 150-foot-tall water tower at 1524 Penn Way just before noon and found the man was about 40 feet up before he made it all the way to the top, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said.
Wearing all black clothing and a black backpack, the man had a drone in his hand, but was not actively deploying it, according to Bertagna.
It wasn't clear why the man had gone up the tower, but an OC Register reporter said he reportedly made a statement about taking a selfie.
"We have no clue why he's up there," Bertagna said. "He's sitting at the top, checking out the world."
When the man failed to respond to calls from the ground, authorities called in an Orange County sheriff's helicopter to try to make contact, Bertagna said.
The man finally made his way down the tower just before 3 p.m. and was being treated by paramedics.
Nearby Davis Elementary School was placed on "lockout" mode", but students were expected to be dismissed at the usual time.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
