SANTA MONICA, CA — A man claiming to have a bomb climbed the Ferris wheel on the Santa Monica Pier, prompting an evacuation of the whole pier Monday afternoon.
The ordeal lasted for more than an hour as firefighters rescued people stuck on the Ferris wheel and police evacuated the pier and attempted to negotiate with the man. He was taken into custody shortly after 4 p.m., and police determined he did not have a bomb or incendiary device in the backpack he carried with him.
The man is being taken to a hospital for evaluation.
The situation began just after 2:30 p.m. as police worked to clear the pier. According to a watch commander at the Santa Monica Police Department, the man was shouting down at police who were having trouble hearing him over the noise on the pier.
A photo taken by a witness and posted online shows the man perched near the center of the 130-foot-tall wheel. The entire pier was closed.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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Santa Monica, CA Patch
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