The Santa Monica Pier was evacuated after an unidentified suspect climbed onto the Ferris Wheel and was overheard by witnesses saying he had a bomb.
“Our officers are currently evacuating Pacific Park and the Pier and our Crisis Negotiation Team is contacting the subject who appears to be in crisis,” said a statement by SMPD at about 3:45 p.m. on Monday.
Santa Monica Fire Department personnel continued to evacuate all individuals on the Ferris wheel and SMPD announced the suspect was in custody at about 5 p.m. The area was reopened to the public at about 5:30 p.m.
Making its debut on the Santa Monica Pier in May 1996, the original 122,000-pound wheel was modified two years later to run on solar power. The 90-foot structure was used for roughly 3 million rides in its 12 years on the pier.
That wheel was sold after a 10-day eBay auction in April 2008 and is now in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma-based real estate developer Grant Humphreys bought it for $132,400 and made clear his intention to bring it back to his home state. It originally cost approximately $800,000.
His brother, Blair Humphreys, is currently overseeing the creation of the Wheeler District in Oklahoma City, a 150-acre mixed-use urban development project. They decided to use the Ferris wheel as an anchor for a plaza that will become an integrated part of the waterfront community.
In May of 2008, Pacific Park introduced the current $1.8 million Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel featuring more than 160,000 energy-efficient LED lights that provides higher energy savings while complementing the solar-power application. The eco-friendly, enhanced LED lighting provides 75 percent greater energy savings than most Ferris wheel’s traditional incandescent bulbs.