The Los Angeles fire and police departments responded after a shirtless man with no shoes was seen attempting to light a cross on fire at the top of the St. Mary's Catholic Church at 407 South Chicago Street in Boyle Heights on Wednesday evening.
The man climbed up scaffolding to get to the bell tower before apparently causing a small fire at the top of the building, which is more than 130 feet tall.
© Google MapsA half-naked man was filmed climbing to the top of St. Mary's church in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, and setting fire to a cross on the bell tower.
A police helicopter was able to track the man using a spotlight as he jumped from building to building, with officers in pursuit on the ground.
The man, who appeared to be in possession of a flashlight, seemed to injure himself and cry out in pain as he landed on one the roofs, reported ABC 7.
At one point, the man even pulled himself across the streets via a power cable before continuing to scale buildings in the neighborhood.
He eventually entered an apartment building, where he was apprehended by LAPD officers just after 10 p.m.
Police had been tracking the man for more than an hour before he was eventually taken into custody.
A family who lived in the building were forced to run out as the suspect entered their home.
The man was sent to the hospital for treatment for his injuries. It is unclear if the man is facing criminal charges. He is also reported to not have been seriously injured during the incident.
"I think it's crazy, I haven't seen anything like this and I have lived here my whole life," Boyle Heights resident Mariana Delarosa told ABC 7.
In a statement, the Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed that the small church roof fire was fully extinguished and that LAFD Arson is currently conducting a fire-related investigation.
It is unclear what prompted the man to climb up the scaffolding and set fire to the cross at the top of St Mary's Church.
The Los Angeles Police Department has been contacted for comment.
The first phote is of a clothed person being arested by police on a subway. The second photo is of a church with no scafolding, no cross on top, nor does it show fire damage. If you go to the news source, you see a short vid of the subway arrest.
So either the story was written by some lazy ass armchair reporter or it's fake paper filler.