A man who took up residence high in the armature of PG&E power structure was successfully coaxed down by authorities after spending three days in his precarious perch, Richmond police said.

First responders keep watch on a PG&E power structure in Richmond during a standoff with a man who spent three days refusing to come down from atop the tower. The man finally descended Friday afternoon, May 30, 2025, police said. (Richmond Police Department via Bay City News)

Authorities were alerted about 10:40 a.m. Tuesday that the man had climbed the large 30-foot structure near South First Street and West Cutting Boulevard. When police arrived he refused to descend from his perch, and power was cut off to the structure.

Richmond firefighters provided ladder trucks to try to get him down, but after hours of negotiating, he still refused.

Over the next three days, officers and PG&E continued to monitor him. It wasn’t safe for authorities to try removing him, and mental health professionals from A3 and members of the Richmond Community Crisis Response Program also tried to persuade him to come down.

The standoff ended about 1:30 p.m. Friday, when members of A3, Reach Out with Compassion and Kindness (ROCK) and PG&E were finally able to convince him to descend. He was given medical attention before being booked on various charges related to entering a secure facility and disrupting power systems.

“We are grateful that through cooperation with our community partners we were able to bring about a peaceful resolution to this incident,” police said in a news release.