LAS VEGAS, Feb. 7 (UPI) — A man was detained Wednesday after he scaled the 366-foot-high, 516-foot-wide Sphere in Las Vegas days before the city hosts Super Bowl LVIII, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said.
Police received a call about the man climbing the sphere at 10:11 a.m. local time. They closed roads surrounding the music and entertainment venue, which is the largest spherical building in the world at 875,000 square feet. They took the man into custody less than 1 1/2 hours later.
Police did not identify the man who was detained because an investigation remains active, but the “prolife.spiderman” Instagram account posted a selfie-styled video of the incident.
Maison DesChamps is listed as the owner of that account. He also was identified as the climber in a news release. He was not listed in the inmate roster for the Clark County Detention Center as of Wednesday afternoon.
DesChamps, who says he climbs skyscrapers to raise money for women in crisis pregnancies, was arrested in 2023 for climbing a building in Phoenix, the site of Super Bowl LVII.
Fox 5 Las Vegas witnessed two people detained Wednesday in Las Vegas at the site of the Sphere.
“We are grateful to the local authorities for their support in this matter,” a spokesperson for Sphere Entertainment said in a statement. “The individuals involved are currently in the custody of LVMPD.”
The climbing stunt occurred while federal and local law enforcement officials held a news conference less than three miles from the Sphere.
“As we sit here today, there’s an individual — for a publicity stunt — climbing up to the top of the Sphere,” LVMPD sheriff Kevin McMahill told reporters. “Your first responders are all over there, taking care of it.
“We know these things are going to happen, and we’re going to deal with them as they come up and make sure we have the safest Super Bowl we’ve ever had.”
McMahill said the man would be arrested when he was brought down from the top of the Sphere.
The officials, who said the incident was not a homeland security issue, detailed how they will patrol the city throughout the week leading into Super Bowl LVIII, which will be held Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
About 350,000 people are expected to be in Las Vegas this week for the Super Bowl. The Sphere, which features more than a million LED lights used for advertising events over its shell, is scheduled to host U2 concerts Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Cathy Lanier, the chief security officer for the NFL, said there are no known, specific or credible threats to the game or any surrounding Super Bowl events. More than 30 federal, state and local public safety and security agencies planned a protection plan for the events over the last 18 months.
Those plans include cybersecurity analysis, bomb and weapons detection, immigration enforcement and more.
The Departement of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it is working with the rideshare service Lyft in an effort to disrupt human trafficking. A total of 385 members of the Department of Homeland Security are working in Las Vegas as part of the operation.
A national security temporary flight restriction will be in place from one hour before to one hour after Super Bowl LVIII, which will kick off at 3:30 p.m. local time and 6:30 p.m. EST Sunday in Las Vegas.
“There are no known, credible, specific threats to the Super Bowl or Las Vegas at this time, but we are vigilant and prepared,” said Alejandro Mayorkas, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
