Stephen Glover, better known as the stuntman Steve-O on the series Jackass, climbed a construction crane in Hollywood, California on Sunday to protest SeaWorld.
Glover climbed at least 100 feet above ground, according to NBC Los Angeles. He scaled the crane holding an inflatable killer whale, and set off fireworks from the top, police told NBC. Glover posted a video to his Facebook page of himself inflating the whale, inscribed with the phrase "Seaworld Sucks," with an electric pump. He remarks with amusement at the few cop cars accumulating below. "We got cops every where. Fuck, I'm 100 feet, 150 feet up in the air," he says into a camera. "It's a beautiful night in Hollywood."
In the video, he calls the inflatable whale "Shamy," referring to Shamu, SeaWorld's killer whale and the subject of widespread controversy after the hit 2013 documentary "Blackfish" chronicled the conditions of the captive cetaceans at SeaWorld.
Later in the evening, he posted a second video to Facebook. By that time, dozens of law enforcement vehicles can be seen in the background, and sirens can be heard. "Anyone wanna bail me out of jail?" he wrote in a status update accompanying the video. Five ambulances, a helicopter and more than 80 firefighters were sent to the scene, the Associated Press reports.
The day before, Glover posted a photo to Instagram of himself holding the inflatable killer whale. It appears to be a pool toy.
Glover climbed down before 9 p.m. Sunday and was arrested on charges including conspiracy to commit trespassing and filming without a permit, the AP reported.
NBC Los Angeles notes that this isn't Glover's first brush with the law for a protest stunt. Last year, he was fined $239 for climbing on a San Diego interstate sign and changing it to read "SeaWorld Sucks," the station reports.
In response to a request for comment on the stunt, SeaWorld communications director David Koontz replied, "We are committed in every respect to the welfare of our animals and we have never shied from a serious discussion of how we provide care. We encourage people with questions to visit AskSeaWorld.com."
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Zoë is a senior writer at Newsweek. She covers science, the environment, and human health. She has written for a ... Read more
