March 06--A man who was sitting and dancing on a power pole Thursday in Oxnard was lifted to safety, officials said.
A crisis intervention team, firefighters and Southern California Edison responded to the incident, which was reported at about 11 a.m. in the 3400 block of South C Street.
Police were inundated with calls Thursday morning about the 22-year-old man on the pole, officials said.
The man was wearing earphones and was not responsive to the crisis team, officials said. How the man got on top of the pole also was unclear. The place where he was sitting did not contain live wires, police said.
Police said they tried to talk to the unnamed man, but he did not acknowledge them.
Edison workers helped get the man down, police said.
Crews eventually were able to use heavy equipment to carry the man to safety about 2:05 p.m.
Police later said the man told them he was despondent over recent family issues.
The man was taken to a Ventura County Mental Health facility for evaluation, police said.
"We're just glad this ended the way it did and that everyone is safe and well," said Miguel Lopez, spokesman for the Oxnard Police Department.
Copyright 2014 - Ventura County Star, Calif.
