Authorities closed Santa Monica Pier after a man climbed onto the Ferris wheel and claimed to be carrying a bomb, police officials said Monday. In aerial footage from local TV, the man could be seen on the wheel carrying a dark bag.
By around 4:30 p.m., the man had climbed down and been taken into custody by officers gathered beneath the ride.
The Santa Monica Police Department had earlier announced via its account on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, that officers were “dealing with a person in crisis.” They subsequently evacuated the pier and Pacific Park.
A man climbed the Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier on Monday afternoon.
(KTLA-TV)
In an interview with The Times before the man was taken into custody, Lt. Erika Aklufi said officers were attempting to extract riders from the Ferris wheel while they communicated with the man to “try to get him to come down.”
“Out of an abundance of caution,” Aklufi said, “we’re going to act as if he does [have a bomb] until we can prove that he doesn’t.”
This is a developing story.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
