Santa Barbara Police Department officers were able to get a man down to safety after he had climbed to the top of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse archway Friday afternoon.
Santa Barbara Police spokesman Sgt. Ethan Ragsdale said that they received several reports just before noon about the adult man that had climbed to the mantel portion of the archway facing the 1100 block of Anacapa Street.
First responders from multiple agencies — including the police department, American Medical Response, and the Santa Barbara City Fire Department — arrived to the scene, where the man appeared to be in mental health distress, Ragsdale said.
Ragsdale added that the SBPD Crisis Negotiations Response Team was able to talk with the man and convince him to come down safely, utilizing a Fire Department ladder truck to assist. They did a mental health evaluation once he was safely on the ground.
The man left the area in an ambulance at about 1 p.m.
Ragsdale said Anacapa Street was closed in the area for about 45 minutes, diverting traffic to nearby streets in downtown Santa Barbara.
The incident took place during the busy lunch hour and at a time a few hundred people were at the courthouse Sunken Gardens reserving spots for the Friday night movie hosted by UCSB Arts & Lectures.
Ragsdale said that no criminal charges are currently being considered in the incident.
No further details were available.
Crisis mental health resources are available by dialing 9-8-8 or at www.988lifeline.org.