A man dangling off the side of Chicago’s Trump Tower for more than 13 hours was taken into custody Monday morning after threatening to cut his rope unless he could speak with Donald Trump.
EARLIER REPORTING:
CBS Chicago reports: “At 5:27 p.m. [Sunday], Chicago Police officers and a SWAT team, as well as Fire Department personnel, were called for a man threatening suicide from the landing. A social media video appeared to show the man saying he wanted to talk with President Donald Trump. SWAT negotiators were at the scene trying to talk with the man Sunday night, and were still at it as of the 10 p.m. hour.”
The Chicago Tribune reports: “A video circulating on social media that appears to be of the man wearing a black jacket holding onto a red rope with one hand and a knife in the other. Part of the Chicago skyline is shown in the background during the daytime. In the video, he demands to talk to President Donald Trump or the media. If not, he will cut the rope. Chicago police could not immediately confirm if the video was of the man or provide any further details on the negotiation efforts.
Social media users shared the following video, which was reportedly streamed on Sunday.
The Chicago Sun-Times reports: “The man, who is in his 20s, has been dangling from the tower’s 16th-floor balcony since about 5:30 p.m., 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 believe the man is using a climbing harness. The man has threatened to kill himself, Chicago police said. A negotiator is currently on the deck trying to get the man down, according to Ahern.”
Earlier in the weekend, the building was the site of another protest. Chicago’s Trump Tower lit up on Saturday night with the Biden/Harris logo, projected there by The United Steelworkers union.
NBC Chicago reports: “The ‘batlight’ campaign, named after the famed Bat-Signal used to summon Gotham’s caped crusader in times of distress, also made appearances on Wrigley Field, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Chicago Theatre. A spokeswoman for the labor union, which represents about 850,000 members across the country, said the campaign is aimed at “encouraging workers to make a plan to vote in the upcoming general election.” Launched last month, it has made appearances in several battleground states, including Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.”
