A man was arrested Monday afternoon after climbing the famous Ferris wheel in Santa Monica, California, and claiming to have a bomb.
Though the threat was a hoax, the incident caused authorities to close off the Santa Monica pier and snarled traffic across the west side of Los Angeles — already difficult during rush hour — for many miles in all directions.
The Santa Monica Daily Press reported:
The Santa Monica Pier was evacuated after an unidentified suspect climbed onto the Ferris Wheel and was overheard by witnesses saying he had a bomb.
“Our officers are currently evacuating Pacific Park and the Pier and our Crisis Negotiation Team is contacting the subject who appears to be in crisis,” said a statement by SMPD at about 3:45 p.m. on Monday.
Santa Monica Fire Department personnel continued to evacuate all individuals on the Ferris wheel and SMPD announced the suspect was in custody at about 5 p.m. The area was reopened to the public at about 5:30 p.m.
The Los Angeles Times noted that passengers on the Ferris wheel, which had to be stopped, were evacuated by firefighters using a lift. Police assumed the man actually had a bomb until confirming that he did not.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.