HOUSTON – A man faces charges after he jumped a fence, climbed a ladder a hijacked a crane in downtown Houston last week.
Following the incident, Timothy Elijah Gonzales was charged with criminal mischief and possession of a controlled substance
Houston police said they were called to a construction site around 3 a.m. due to “suspicious activity.” Gonzales was about 15 stories up. When he climbed up there, investigators said the man walked along the catwalk and got inside the cab of the crane.
Police said he managed to move the crane at one point. The construction crew told officers they turned off the power so he couldn’t do it anymore.
According to police, they tried to contact him through radio but were unsuccessful.
SWAT got the man down from the crane around 6:13 a.m. and he was compliant. Police said they believe drugs played a role in the incident.
According to court documents, Gonzales’ actions in tampering with the crane caused the total shutdown of the Metro Transit Rail in and around the area for over three hours.
Gonzales is being held in the Harris County Jail on $6,500 in bonds.