[Updated: Fri., July 28, 2:30pm]
A dangerous situation was averted midday on Friday after a shirtless, shoeless man climbed the sandstone bricks on the Santa Barbara County Courthouse archway shortly before noon, forcing emergency crews to shut down Anacapa street and stretch an engine ladder nearly 40 feet up to rescue the man.
Bystanders crowded the streets while fire crews and police spoke with the man, who appeared to be in distress but did not make any attempts to jump. According to witnesses at the scene, when people on the ground shouted telling the man not to jump, he responded by shouting back, “Don’t worry about me. I’m not going to jump. I’m here to save you all.”