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Police in Seattle are trying to convince a man who climbed up a tree and remained there for several hours on Tuesday to come down as the nation watches his standoff unfold live.
Reports say the bearded man appears “agitated” and has thrown apples, tree branches, pine cones and orange peels at rescuers on an extended ladder. He also claims to be armed with a knife and has been making obscene gestures at spectators, komonews.com reports. However, he did reportedly ask for a pack of cigarettes.
By the evening the man had stripped the top of the tree of most of its branches, reports say. Komonews.com has a live feed from the scene here.
Several city blocks around the tree have been shut down since 11 a.m. because of the incident, qfox13.com reports, disrupting traffic in the city.
“Due to the his violent behavior and threats, and the man’s precarious position high above the ground, police are taking extreme caution to ensure the safety of everyone involved,” Seattle police said in a statement.
VIDEO: Seattle #ManInTree ran out of apples, so he is throwing pine cones and branches https://t.co/KDpaGUU46o –https://t.co/wPNAjvcSlk
— KING 5 News (@KING5Seattle) March 22, 2016
The already-strange incident is gaining attention on social media and is trending on Twitter under the hashtag #manintree. In addition, Seattle “superhero” Phoenix Jones arrived at the scene saying he would offer the man a sandwich and a beer to lure him down.
“It is quite a spectacle, honestly,” police spokesman Patrick Michaud tells the Seattle Times.
“We want to make sure he’s OK and that he can get down from the tree without hurting himself or someone else,” Michaud tells the Times. “We’re on his schedule — we’re not going to rush it with someone at the top of a tall tree. If you rush it, it could become dangerous.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
