Two tourists in their 20s are facing charges after police say they climbed as high as 70 feet up the Lions Gate Bridge for a "photo op."
The police incident snarled traffic and prompted a lane closure on the busy commuter route, and forced buses between downtown Vancouver and the North Shore to be re-routed for several hours Thursday morning.
Const. Jason Doucette said a passing motorist called 911 around 8:30 a.m. after seeing a man climb over the railing and pull himself up the guy-wires to "about 50 to 70 feet (15 to 21 metres) up the bridge deck."
The man was wearing a headlamp and carrying a large backpack.
Attending officers couldn’t see the duo when they arrived, and the Emergency Response Team’s high-angle rescue specialists were called out to search the enclosed pathways and guy-wire systems, Doucette said.
Because of the backpack, officers thought there could be some kind of threat.
The climbers, who are visiting from Washington State, were taken into custody after they were seen scaling back down the wires to the bridge deck.
Their camera equipment was seized and the Vancouver Police Department says it will recommend charges against the men.
"It's very irresponsible to put people in harm's way over a photograph," Doucette said.
Eyoalha Baker had been walking along the bridge when she saw a couple of men running across the top of one of the suspension bridge's towers. She said they looked like they were hiding.
"Then when they got to the side and climbed down, and when they got to the bottom there were two police officers there that were ready to put them in handcuffs," she told CTV News.
She said she heard that police had initially been given the wrong information about the men's location, and had climbed up the other tower looking for them. While officers worked to reach the men, traffic on the bridge was reduced from three lanes to two for hours.
Baker posted photos of the incident on her Instagram page, calling the men "rebel bridge climbers." She also spoke to police at the scene and sent them her photos.
I actually thought it was kind of cool, I know that's probably not good," she said, acknowledging the risk in climbing the tower.
"I was just thinking how, first of all, it's such a beautiful view. Secondly, I know it's dangerous but it didn't seem like they were trying to jump off or do anything like that. It looked more like a couple of young guys that were, I don't know, climbing around and having fun."
The men aren't the first thrill seekers to climb the deck of the bridge in the hopes of capturing a killer shot.
The Instagram account Roam Vancouver features images of photo takers perched precariously on the bridge deck, as well as various rooftops and cranes across the city.
