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Man climbs Florida television tower, leads police on hours-long standoff

A man climbed a 400-foot television transmission tower in Wednesday, triggering a standoff between the individual and police that lasted for most of the day.

On Wednesday, Orlando CBS affiliate WKMG (Channel 6) said an unknown individual scaled the 400-foot tower directly outside its studios.

Police closed access to the station around 11 a.m. local time as they worked to negotiate with the man. The station said it was refusing to air or stream live video of the incident as it unfolded because the individual in question “has a history of mental illness” and the station did not want to interfere with ongoing crisis negotiations between the man and police.

Around 3 p.m., the man started to climb down the tower as a thunderstorm moved across. He came off the tower completely around 7:30 p.m., local media reported.

The man who climbed the tower was not identified by name.

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About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.