After 6 Days, Tower Climber Brought Down

William Boyd Sturdivant II had rebuffed earlier police efforts
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 16, 2011 5:20 PM CDT
Updated Aug 17, 2011 5:00 AM CDT
Man in Tulsa Remains on Tower After 5 Days
After climbing down about 50 feet from his previous location, the man in a standoff with police on a communications tower loses the second of his two socks on Monday.   (AP Photo/Tulsa World, Jeff Lautenberger)

A man in Tulsa who climbed a TV tower on Thursday morning was finally brought down last night, after a six-day standoff with police. The 25-year-old had not taken food or water since Friday, the day after he climbed the Clear Channel communications tower. He reportedly has a history of mental illness, notes the Tulsa World. After he entered a Fire Department lift, William Boyd Sturdivant II was taken to a medical center in serious condition.

Police said yesterday they wouldn't try to force him down but were getting worried given the 100-degree heat, notes AP. He finally came down after talking to negotiator Tyrone Lynn for most of the day. "We threw every negotiator we had at him," says a police captain. "Tyrone’s incredibly skilled." (More Oklahoma stories.)

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