Los Angeles, Ca
Daredevil walks between downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers, high above skyline
Shocking video captured a daredevil walking a rope between two downtown Los Angeles skyscrapers.
Oceanwide Plaza, a $1 billion mixed-use retail and luxury apartment building, has been vacant for years and has become infamously known as the graffiti towers, attracting artists and those looking to perform death-defying stunts.
YouTuber Ben Schneider was the latest to attempt a stunt at the location when he walked across a slackline between the buildings, looming high above the L.A. skyline.
Schneider, a self-proclaimed performance artist and daredevil, posts videos under the YouTube handle “Reckless Ben” and has amassed over 350,000 subscribers.
Despite a police perimeter surrounding the buildings, Schenider said he was able to slip past any watchful eyes on May 12.
“We pretended we were a religious cult and we got 20 people to all hold signs saying ‘Jesus Saves’ and the signs were blocking the police’s point of view so we just hopped the fence,” he said.
Inside the building, he and his team members climbed 500 feet up the tower multiple times to string together and tighten two one-inch nylon straps between the towers.
While holding a camera attached to a selfie stick, Schneider carefully mounts the line and begins walking across the rope, his camera capturing the soaring viewpoint and moving traffic down below.
“I call it moral graffiti,” Schneider said of his stunt. “I’m a moral graffiti artist. I vandalize buildings without causing any building damage.”
Schneider, who is an experienced slackliner, spent over two minutes walking the line while attached to a safety harness.
“I was pretty confident that Ben could pull it off,” said Lydia Ren, Schneider’s team member who served as a lookout during the stunt. “I just do this for fun. This is not a job. I actually work at a VR startup so this is like my weekend thing.”
Once police realized there were trespassers inside the towers, authorities began searching the premises. Schneider was seen hiding in a bathtub and covering himself with plywood. He stayed there for several hours before finally exiting the building and evading arrest.
Despite the name of his YouTube handle, Schneider said he’s well aware of the dangers of such stunts.
“Everything’s dangerous,” he said. “Driving a car is dangerous, but we still drive. The stunt I did was dangerous but I think the reward outweighed the risk because I think we inspired a lot of people. I got to push myself out of my comfort zone. We got to do something scary and inspire the world to go live their best life.”
Oceanwide Plaza is a $1 billion mixed-use retail and luxury apartment project with three unfinished structures. Construction had stalled in January 2019 after the developer lacked the funds to complete it.
The complex, which is located in the heart of downtown L.A.’s entertainment district, has attracted many artists which have since covered over 27 stories of its exterior with graffiti.
The building has been an ongoing problem for police and city leaders due to constant trespassing for those eager to tag the building, perform death-defying stunts, and or even BASE jump.
In March 2024, city council members agreed to allot $3.8 million to clean up and secure the site, which has seen numerous arrests in the weeks since the tagging began.
Footage of Schneider’s stunt can be seen in the video player above.
Los Angeles, Ca
Colorado man arrested at Del Taco after allegedly carjacking Mustang from Southern California gas station
A man from Colorado was arrested at a Del Taco location after he allegedly stole a Mustang from a woman at a San Bernardino County gas station.
A media release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department indicates that deputies were dispatched to the Shell station located at 8986 Deep Creek Road in Apple Valley just before 8 a.m. Thursday.
“The suspect allegedly ran up behind a customer standing near her vehicle [and] attempted to grab her cellphone from her hand,” SBSD said. “The victim was able to hold on to her phone, but the suspect grabbed her 2014 Mustang GT car keys from her and pushed her to the ground.”
After taking the keys, the suspect, identified as Jacob Naro of Pueblo, Colorado, ran toward the victim’s vehicle and attempted to start the engine, but was said to have been briefly stopped by a gas station attendant.
“A gas station employee reached into the vehicle and attempted to remove Naro…[he] then allegedly pushed the gas station employee out of the vehicle onto the ground and drove away,” officials said.
Upon locating the stolen Mustang, deputies initiated a pursuit, during which Naro drove on the wrong side of the road, did not stop at traffic signals, and drove with “complete disregard for public safety.”
Naro, 28, eventually stopped the vehicle at a permanently closed Del Taco store located near CA-138 and the 15 Freeway in the community of Phelan; he was quickly taken into custody without further incident, authorities stated.
Exactly how long the pursuit lasted was not disclosed.
The Colorado native was booked into the High Desert Detention Center for robbery, carjacking, felony evading and evading by driving in opposite lanes of traffic and was being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Anyone with information that may aid the ongoing investigation is encouraged to contact A. Schwingel with the Victory Valley Sheriff’s Station by calling 760-552-6800.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to WeTip by calling their hotline at 1-800-782-7463 or visiting www.wetip.com
Los Angeles, Ca
Car flips off embankment, lands on roof after crash on 10 Freeway
A car flipped off an embankment and landed on its roof after a crash on the 10 Freeway overnight.
The collision, which involved three vehicles, took place on the westbound span of the 10 near Vermont Avenue in L.A.’s Pico-Union neighborhood around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, CHP officials said.
Video from the scene shows the car, a gray sedan, being flipped back onto its wheels and being loaded onto a tow truck.
The other vehicles involved in the crash were also towed from the scene.
No injuries were reported, and what caused the collision is not yet known.
Los Angeles, Ca
Thief steals custom tricycle from Southern California girl with rare neurological disorder
A Southern California family is distraught after a thief stole an adaptive tricycle from a young girl with a rare neurological disorder.
Surveillance videos captured the theft outside of a Lawndale home on Thursday at around 7:30 a.m. A man is seen walking in the neighborhood when he spots the bike in the victim’s front yard.
He walks over and inspects the bike before rolling it across the neighborhood street and placing it into his black van parked around the corner.
The bike belongs to Alli, a 7-year-old girl who has a rare genetic mutation that causes neurological issues and limits her mobility.
The girl’s mother, Elisabeth Booth, said Alli’s condition causes epilepsy, dyskinesia, developmental delay, speech issues and motor issues. Alli is also on the autism spectrum and is nonverbal.
The adaptive bike was custom-made for the girl’s physical therapy and is vital to strengthening her legs while allowing her to keep up with other neighborhood children.
“She has a twin brother and we go out on bike rides,” Elisabeth said. “This allows her to ride with us and be a part of everyday activities with regular, typical kids.”
Elisabeth bought the bike several years ago secondhand and paid $1,700 for it. The bike is custom-fit to Alli and Elizabeth said she cannot afford to purchase a new one.
“It’s adjusted to exactly her leg length, so, the end seam measurements,” the mother explained. “Her seat is exactly where it needs to be so that her knee comes up at a 90-degree angle.”
Elisabeth said she didn’t understand why the thief would take the bike, especially knowing it looked unique and likely belonged to a child with special needs.
“I’m shocked that, at any point, he didn’t think to himself that this bike is needed for a child and that he just took off with it without a care in the world,” Elisabeth said. “This is a child’s trike who needs it to feel like a part of the kids and the community. She misses it and wants it back.”
By releasing surveillance video of the theft, Elisabeth hopes someone will recognize the suspect or his black van.
A GoFundMe page to help raise money to replace Alli’s tricycle can be found here.
Anyone with information on the theft is asked to call the Lawndale Sheriff’s Station at 310-219-2750
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