Steve-O Charged in Crane Stunt in Protest of SeaWorld

Actor/stuntman “Steve-O,” best known for the “Jackass” television and movie franchise, was charged with five misdemeanors stemming from his attention-grabbing climb up a construction crane in Hollywood as part of a protest of SeaWorld, the City Attorney’s Office announced today.

Stephen Gilchrist Glover, 41, was charged with one count each of creating a false emergency, use of unregistered fireworks, storing fireworks without a permit, possession of fireworks without a permit and trespassing. If convicted on all five counts, he faces up to 4 1/2 years in jail and up to $4,500 in fines.

He is scheduled to appear in court Aug. 31.

The City Attorney’s Office will seek also restitution. Spokesman Frank Mateljan said city prosecutors were working with the police and fire departments and the owner of the construction site to determine the exact amount.

The stuntman was arrested Aug. 9 after he entered a secured construction site, climbed a crane, set off a firework and dropped an inflatable Shamu toy reading “Seaworld Sucks” before climbing down, police said. Glover live- streamed the entire stunt online.

Crews responded around 8 p.m. that evening to the site at 6094 W. Selma Ave. on a report of a possible jumper.

That jumper, however, turned out to be Glover, who alerted his Twitter followers and Facebook fans the previous day about his plans to carry out a public stunt in opposition to SeaWorld’s treatment of killer whales and other sea life.

Police blasted the stunt, calling it a massive waste of officers’ and firefighters’ time. Responding fire crews deployed air cushions beneath the crane, unsure if the man planned to jump.

As he walked out of jail in Hollywood the next morning, Glover stood by his actions.

“For God’s sake, get a pair of binoculars,” he said. “I used binoculars to make sure that the hatch was open. ... (With binoculars), you’d be able to recognize, ‘Hey, that’s Steve-O filming himself with an inflatable killer whale after he had posted that he was gonna do that to millions and millions.”

Glover made headlines last year when he defaced a freeway exit sign in San Diego to make it read “SeaWorld Sucks.”

City News Service; Photos: Wikimedia Commons and Youtube