Man brought down after more than 24 hours on top of Dallas crane, officials say
The man who climbed onto the arm of a crane at a West Dallas construction site Monday morning was taken into custody and brought down Tuesday, after he had been on the crane for more than 24 hours, officials confirmed.
Jason Evans, a spokesperson for the Dallas Fire-Rescue Department, said the man was medically evaluated and then lowered in a harness around 9:30 a.m. Tuesday with a member of the DFR Urban Search and Rescue team.
The man was transported to a local hospital in police custody for further evaluation, Evans said.
A spokesperson for the Dallas Police Department said the man had been in custody since 7:45 a.m. He was initially taken into custody by members of SWAT while still on top of the crane.
Dallas Fire-Rescue was called to the scene in the 1000 block of Singleton Boulevard around 7:30 a.m. Monday. Police, including SWAT, also responded, but efforts to get the man to come down were fruitless.
The Dallas Police Department said in a news release that the man was about 150 feet in the air, and the preliminary investigation revealed he was potentially suicidal. It appeared he had a self-inflicted wound on his abdomen, but police said the injury wasn’t life-threatening.
Evans said the man spent Monday night on top of the crane, but “became more cooperative with DPD personnel as the circumstances began to take their toll on him.”
Police said SWAT continued to negotiate with the man throughout the night, but the negotiations were paused at one point due to storms in the area.
Heavy rain moved through the area early Tuesday. It looked like the man was in the cab of the crane during the storm, according to Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV.
Authorities have not released the name of the man. Police said he hadn’t been charged as of Tuesday afternoon, but charges are possible. They did not say what those charges might be.
It’s still not clear why he climbed the crane.
Police initially said Monday that the man appeared to be in distress, WFAA reported. He stood on the boom of the crane but also climbed onto guy wires or cables at times, according to KXAS-TV.
Evans said the SWAT team was planning to bring him down, but once the man’s condition began to deteriorate, officials realized he would need a medical evaluation first. Dallas-Fire Rescue was asked to evaluate him and bring him down instead.
If you or a loved one are experiencing a crisis, call 988, the new, three-digit shortcut that will direct callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
This story was originally published February 14, 2023 at 12:58 PM.
