A woman who climbed a construction crane and locked herself inside the cab some 180 feet above a construction site near Los Angeles’ historic Olvera Street landmark was rescued more than two hours after the incident started, authorities said Tuesday.
The 26-year-old Hispanic woman climbed the “tall crane at a construction site” about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Workers turned off power to the crane, and firefighters were working to determine how the reach the woman, LAFD’s Margaret Stewart said. After about a half-hour, the Los Angeles Police Department assumed control of the incident and was expected to conduct the rescue, Stewart said.
“She decided to lock herself inside the crane and the workers there shut the power off to make sure the crane did not move,”said Officer Mike Lopez with the Los Angeles Police Department.
The woman entered the construction area about 4 p.m. and was spotted by workers, who tried to get her attention, said Lopez. She then began to climb the crane and entered the cab, he said.
“They shut the power off … so there’s no way for her to move it, whatsoever,” Lopez said.
A mental health evaluation team, SWAT team and crisis negotiators were working the incident. They planned to use a construction worker’s radio to try to communicate with the radio in the cab, he said.
Authorities appeared to have scaled the crane and were moving toward the cab about 6:15 p.m.
The woman may be homeless and living in the area, Lopez said.
“It is hard to see,” said Father Arturo Coraal, an onlooker and priest at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church. “To see a human is over there. It’s a sister, a brother and that breaks the heart.”
Stewart gave the address of the incident as 100 W. Chavez Ave., between Spring and Main streets, next to Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church. The area is at the edge of downtown L.A. and Chinatown.
A $140 million mixed-used project — La Plaza Village — is under construction there, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The crane’s cab appeared to be about 15 stories high; authorities on scene said it was about 180 feet high.
Firefighters, and the SWAT negotiators managed to secure her and slowly made their way down the crane about 6:50 p.m., video from the scene showed.
“They rendered her into safety, took her into custody, promised her a coffee that she wanted and that she asked for,” said Lopez. “We brought her down to the ground and the coffee was waiting for her.”
It is unclear why the woman decided to climb the crane and lock herself inside.
Lopez said authorities would evaluate her state of mind and “get her the help she needs.” He added that investigators will decide if charges are appropriate and that the woman could face trespassing charges.
