A Man Fell To His Death After Climbing And Dancing On A Shipping Crane

An alleged car thief drove into the Port of Los Angeles and broke into a shipping crane, evading cops for three hours before he fell a 160-feet to his death.

A surreal Los Angeles chase began around 3 p.m. when a man in a stolen SUV evaded cops by disappearing onto a freeway.

The car was spotted a few hours later by Long Beach police, who pursued him as he drove right past a security booth.

"He rolled right through that," Phillip Sanfield, a spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times. BuzzFeed News has also reached out to the Port of Los Angles for additional information.

The SUV drove around the port of Los Angeles at high speeds making wide turns, all of which was aired live on local news stations in LA.

Eventually, the man wearing a Lakers jersey was seen jumping out of the car, as it continued to drift forward, and he started to climb several flights of stairs, making it about 150 feet high and onto a shipping crane.

He seemed to be exploring the shipping crane, breaking into certain areas, and occasionally making erratic hand gestures.

Eventually, he ended up on what appeared to be a large beam, where he sat for awhile, while police and onlookers could be seen gathering below.

While on the beam, he appeared to be doing stretches and even crunches at times.

He continued to walk down the beam, laying and standing in different areas, taking off his shoes and shirt, while evading police who were trying to talk him down.

Shortly after 9 p.m., the man was seen in the live footage falling off the crane and onto a boat deck. It's unclear if it was an accident or he jumped.

Police and fire officials on the scene are seen surrounding the man and eventually covering him with a sheet.

The Los Angeles Fire Department said in a news release that the man fell 160 feet.

Patrick Bates, a crane operator who works at the yard, told KTLA that the man was on the highest crane in the harbor before he fell.

"It was unbelievable, the height of that, it takes your breath away..." Bates said referring to the crane. "He was up there doing things that I just could not believe."

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