Man on Melbourne Bridge Tower Delays Traffic, Police in Standoff
Quick Look
- A man remains atop a 140-meter Melbourne bridge tower, delaying thousands of drivers.
- Police are in a standoff with the trespasser who spray-painted graffiti, possibly the "Pam the Bird" character, on the structure.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
A man has scaled the Bolte Bridge tower and spray-painted graffiti, causing significant traffic delays. Police are attempting to safely bring him down.
In short:
A man remains perched on top of a 140-metre tower on a Melbourne bridge, delaying thousands of drivers on CityLink and West Gate Freeway.
Police say the trespasser scaled the bridge and abseiled down the concrete pillar to spray-paint the notorious Pam the Bird character on the surface in the early hours.
What's next?
Police are trying to reach the man to arrest him.
Police are in a stand-off with a vandal who has abseiled down a concrete tower of a prominent Melbourne bridge and spray-painted an infamous graffiti character.
A man was spotted climbing to the top of the 140-metre Bolte Bridge tower in Melbourne's Docklands in the early hours of today and spraying the Pam the Bird symbol, along with offensive words.
Police have closed one southbound lane of the bridge that connects the Tullamarine Freeway and CityLink toll road to the West Gate Freeway, which will affect thousands of vehicles during the morning peak commute.
Speed has been reduced on the busy roadway.
The social media account of the original Pam the Bird creator includes footage taken from the top of the tower and of police cars on the bridge and wharf below.
But police have been unable to confirm whether the trespasser is the alleged Pam the Bird vandal, who was last year charged with more than 50 offences for spray-painting numerous landmarks, including Flinders Street Station and the CityLink "cheese stick".
He was also charged with a shop ram-raid, an assault against a retail worker and a stabbing.
The trespasser is still at the top of the tower.
"A man has scaled the bridge and remains in a restricted area on the eastern tower," a police spokesperson said.
"He is refusing to follow police direction and come down."
The spokesperson said there was no threat to the public or road users.
"There are a significant number of police resources in the area, including uniformed members and water-police units," the spokesperson said.
"Police are currently working to get the man down safely."
Open Questions
- Will the trespasser be identified as the original Pam the Bird?
- What charges will be laid against the trespasser?
- How long will the traffic disruptions continue?