Man who climbed Las Vegas Sphere arrested, police say
FILE - The Sphere is seen during the opening night with U2:UV Achtung Baby Live concert at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States on Sept. 29, 2023. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A man who climbed to the top of the Sphere venue in Las Vegas, Nevada, was arrested by police Wednesday morning.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) began receiving calls about a person who climbed the 366-foot-tall sphere just after 10 a.m. local time.
The man was identified as 24-year-old Maison Des Champs, but police did not specify what charges he could face.
Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill, head of the LVMPD, characterized the incident as a publicity stunt "because of who they told me that they believe it is."
Des Champs is a local rock climber who has pulled off similar stunts before in Las Vegas and beyond. He posted a short cellphone video Wednesday morning on his Instagram account from atop the Sphere.
FILE - Sphere lights up during the venue's grand opening on Sept. 29, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The video shows him against a blue but cloudy sky with a GoPro camera strapped to his head.
"Hey guys, I'm here on top of the Sphere," he says in the video, wind whipping in the background as he explains that he scaled the structure to help raise funds for a pregnant woman who is experiencing homelessness.
Phoenix Fire Capt. Todd Keller called the stunt "very, very dumb."
"This is so dangerous," Keller said at the time. "You put not only yourself in danger, you put firefighters in danger. You put anyone else walking below or anybody around this incident in danger."
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.