An odd incident occurred in Miami when a 38-year-old man named Richard Smith climbed a 150-foot T-Mobile cell phone tower, brandishing a Bible and disrupting service.
According to reports, Smith's activities created a major disruption, resulting in $500,000 in damages and impacting nearby businesses and communities for five hours. The event occurred at Miami's Northwest 29th Street and 13th Avenue intersection.
WATCH:
Bible-Wielding Florida Man Climbs T-Mobile Tower
According to WSVN, Smith's ascent began at 7 a.m., triggering an alarm for T-Mobile technicians. Upon reaching the top, Smith shut off the cell tower, prompting a response from actual T-Mobile workers and law enforcement.
Eyewitnesses reported that Smith, perched atop the tower, repeatedly shouted, "I've got a job to do, I've got to finish my job!" while urging responders to join him.
He also threw objects down at authorities, further complicating the situation. Negotiations between Smith and the police lasted approximately four hours before he agreed to descend voluntarily.
Miami Police Officer Michael Vega described Smith's behavior, stating, "He tampered with the equipment up there. He threw things down, he wasn't listening to officers' commands to come down." Smith's actions indicated a level of knowledge about tower operations, as he avoided touching hot power supply clamps.
The disruption caused by Smith's actions extended beyond the immediate area, affecting cellphone services and nearby businesses. The severity of the disruption led authorities to block off the surrounding area as they worked to resolve the situation.
(Photo : Image via WSVNTV YouTube)
A bizarre incident unfolded in Miami as a 38-year-old man, identified as Richard Smith, climbed a 150-foot T-Mobile cell phone tower, brandishing a Bible and disrupting service. Reports indicate that Smith's actions caused significant disruption, costing an estimated $500,000 in damages and impacting local businesses for five hours.
T-Mobile Responds to Cell Tower Incident
Following his descent, Smith was taken into custody and charged with criminal mischief and burglary of an occupied structure. However, upon coming down, he expressed gratitude towards the first responders and cooperated with authorities.
In response to the incident, T-Mobile issued a statement expressing gratitude to the Miami Police Department and Fire Rescue for their response. The statement confirmed that the company's systems had alerted them to the service issue and emphasized their commitment to supporting the investigation.
As of now, Smith remains in custody, and authorities continue to investigate the motive behind his actions.
In Other News
Virgin Media O2 has introduced its latest customer service innovation: a game-changing smart support system for remotely detecting and resolving Wi-Fi issues. This eliminates the need for traditional phone-based troubleshooting.
According to sources, this smart system constantly monitors the performance of customers' Wi-Fi routers, detecting any connectivity issues such as speed fluctuations and dropouts.
The smart support system ensures that consumers have uninterrupted internet connectivity by proactively detecting errors.
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