Man who climbed palm tree placed on mental health evaluation hold
A 34-year-old man has been placed on a mental health evaluation hold after he created a scene early Wednesday morning when he tried to evade police by climbing a palm tree in Indio.
The incident occurred at the corner of Jackson Street and Avenue 42.
According to Sgt. Dan Marshall with the Indio Police Department, officers were called at 6:30 a.m. after witnesses reported an argument between a man and a woman.
When officers arrived, the man was standing on top of a large sign at the southeast corner of the intersection and the woman was no longer there. The man was confrontational and began yelling at officers as he refused to come down from the sign, Marshall said in a release.
The man then climbed several feet up a nearby palm tree where he continued to yell at police. Officers tried to coax him down from the tree for his own safety and they had paramedics on standby in case the man fell, according to authorities.
At about 9 a.m., officers backed away and the man came down from the palm tree.
As seen in the YouTube video uploaded by viewer Troy McDonald, the man starts walking toward the street before he notices police and starts running towards oncoming traffic. The man ended up getting clipped by a red pickup truck driving eastbound on Avenue 42.
The 34-year-old man quickly sprung back to his feet and was detained by officers.
Marshall said the man was taken to the hospital for minor injuries that appeared to be from climbing up and down the palm tree and from getting hit by the truck.
No charges have been filed against the man but officers said he was placed on a mental health evaluation hold. No officers were hurt during the incident.
The man’s name hasn’t been released because it was determined to be a mental health issue. News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 will post updates if more pertinent information is released.
The video below was uploaded to YouTube by viewer Troy McDonald, who was on scene when the man jumped out of the tree.
