LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A man wearing only boxer shorts who scaled a four-story church in Boyle Heights Wednesday night and appeared to set a bell on fire was taken into custody.
Los Angeles Fire Department units responded at about 8:25 p.m. to St. Mary's Catholic Church at 407 S. Chicago St. on reports of a possible jumper on the roof who appeared “to be trying to light the building on fire,'' according to the department's Margaret Stewart.
The fire on top of the church bell tower appeared to burn out without threat of spreading to the rest of the building, according to reports from the scene.
The man also appeared to kick a second statue in an attempt to knock it over.
The suspect evaded police by jumping from rooftop to rooftop and swinging on cable lines. He also entered a apartment briefly but none of the occupants were harmed, CBS2 reported.
The man was taken into custody at about 9:50 p.m., KCAL9 reported.
Copyright 2021, City News Service, Inc.