Man Parachutes Off Loop High-Rise

A far southwest Ottawa man was arrested after BASE jumping off a skyscraper under construction early Sunday in the Loop.

About 2:40 a.m. a Central District patrol officer was near a construction site at 117 W. Wacker Dr. when he heard a “loud popping sound,’’ according to police News Affairs Officer John Mirabelli. “He looked around and he sees an individual floating down onto Wacker Drive.”

After making sure that the parachutist, 44-year-old Shaun Walters, was not hurt, the officer placed the man under arrest, said Mirabelli.

Walters had apparently parachuted off the building under construction at the Wacker address, which is planned for 90-stories.    Click here for a Flickr photo of that building.

“The officer took proactive actions to prevent danger to himself, nearby pedestrians and vehicular traffic,’’ Mirabelli said. “It (parachuting) does post a very serious danger."

Walters, of the 3200 block of East 1969 Rd. in Ottawa, Ill., was charged with one count of reckless conduct, a misdemeanor, according to Mirabelli.

It was not known immediately why he was parachuting.

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