A man was taken into custody early Monday after hanging off the side of Trump Tower from a rope for 13 hours, demanding to speak to President Donald Trump.
The man, who is in his 20s, dangled from the tower’s 16th-floor balcony beginning at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, asking to speak to the president and trying to get his message to the media, according to Chicago Police spokesman Tom Ahern. Police officers at the scene said they believed the man was using a climbing harness.
The man threatened to kill himself, Chicago police said. A negotiator was on the deck trying to get the man down, according to Ahern.
Police blocked off traffic on Upper Wacker around Trump Tower, which overlooks the Chicago River at 401 N. Wabash Ave. A crowd of onlookers gathered across from the tower, some wondering if it was part of a stunt for the upcoming Batman movie, which has been shooting in the city recently.
As the situation extended into Monday morning, the CTA announced reroutes on the southbound 6, 134, 135, 136 and 146 bus routes through the area because of ongoing police activity at Wacker and Wabash.
At 1:36 a.m. Monday, Ahern tweeted that “every effort is being made to bring a positive conclusion to this situation” after hours of negotiations. At around 6:31 a.m., he tweeted that de-escalation efforts were continuing. Just before 7 a.m., Ahern said the situation was "resolved peacefully by negotiators" with the suspect in custody and no injuries reported.
Video of the scene showed the man eventually climbing up to the balcony, where he was swarmed by the SWAT team at the scene.
