Police and firefighters descended on an apartment building at Charles and Jarvis Streets on Sept. 1, 2013, after receiving multiple calls about a scantily clad man climbing on the outside of the building’s 23rd floor.
A man who scaled the outside of a downtown Toronto building in his underwear was likely under the influence of drugs and was hallucinating, police say.
Police and firefighters descended on an apartment building at Charles and Jarvis Streets early Sunday afternoon after receiving multiple calls about a scantily clad man climbing on the outside of the building's 23rd floor, said Staff Sergeant Dan Crosby of 51 Division.
Video of the incident shows the man clinging to the side of the building and gingerly making his way from one ledge to another. Staff Sgt. Crosby said the man was on the outside of the building for about 15 minutes before police coaxed him back to the balcony. Police can be seen on video swiftly grabbing the man as he gets within reach.
"Something made him hallucinate to think something was going on in the apartment that wasn't going on. And in that frame of mind he decided to go out of the apartment to save himself," Staff Sgt. Crosby said.
He added that police believe the man was under the influence of drugs, but he could not confirm which drug or drugs those were. He said that the man had a history of methamphetamine use and has been arrested in the past for possessing the drug.
Staff Sgt. Crosby said the man, whose name has not been released, is in his mid-30s and is a resident of the building.
The man was taken to hospital after the incident for an assessment but was not charged with a crime, Staff Sgt. Crosby added.