A man who threatened to leap from a freeway overpass in Hollywood back in October, causing a 10-hour long closure that jammed traffic for rush-hour commuters, scaled a scaffolding on Friday afternoon outside the Dolby Theatre, where he remained for more than 16 hours, officials said.
The man climbed the 30-foot metal structure at Hollywood and Highland around 4:30 p.m. Friday, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Officials cleared the area and placed an airbag on the sidewalk.
But after closing a stretch of Hollywood Boulevard, authorities said they decided to end negotiations with the man in an approach they call “tactical disengagement.” They reopened the street just before 3 a.m. Saturday.
He did not come down until about 10 a.m.
Officials suspect he was seeking attention and that he did not intend to jump, the Los Angeles Police Department told KTLA.
“It became clear that the individual had no intentions of coming down, and instead of continuing all of the attention, the decision was made to tactically withdraw and allow the man to stay up there,” the Fire Department said in a statement. “Shortly after 2 A.M., LAFD packed up all of their equipment (ladders, and rescue air cushions) and cleared the incident.”
The man displayed signs of mental illness, officials said.
The temporary metal structure was erected ahead of the Academy Awards, scheduled to be held at the Dolby Theatre on Feb. 9.
According to police, the same individual stood on an overpass on the 101 Freeway near Hollywood Boulevard just before midnight in late October. He remained on a narrow ledge before surrendering at about 9:40 a.m. the next day.
The hourslong ordeal shut down both sides of the 101, causing majors delays for Tuesday morning commuters.
At the time, police said they planned to arrest the man on suspicion of trespassing and have him evaluated for mental illness.
They never released his name, and it’s unclear whether or not he was held in a health care facility or jail.
LAPD previously described him to be about 25 years old.