Santa Monica Pier Evacuated After Man Claiming To Have Bomb Climbs Iconic Ferris Wheel
deadline.comUPDATED with resolution: A man carrying a backpack and apparently claiming to have a bomb climbed to the center of the Santa Monica Pier Ferris wheel today, prompting the closure and evacuation of the entire pier before the man was taken into custody.
Officers were dispatched about 2:40 p.m. to the pier, according to a watch commander at the Santa Monica Police Department. Local TV news picked up the story from the scene.Here's a close-up look at the man who scaled the Ferris wheel at Pacific Park, prompting an evacuation.
Updates: https://t.co/bXKADSsyvq pic.twitter.com/tMJCMUFmB0 “Somebody climbed the Ferris wheel, with a backpack, and began yelling at officers,” the watch commander told City News Service. “We’re working, trying to figure this thing out.” The department reported on X, formerly Twitter, that the suspect was heard by witnesses saying he has a bomb.
Officers evacuated Pacific Park and the pier, and a crisis negotiation team was at the scene attempting to talk to the suspect.
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