A California Highway Patrol cruiser. Photo by John Schreiber.
A California Highway Patrol cruiser. Photo by John Schreiber.

A man perched on the edge of an overpass prompted the closure Friday of the Hollywood (101) Freeway in Studio City for almost four hours, snarling afternoon traffic for miles before he was taken safely into custody.

Authorities were notified about 1:35 p.m. that the man was on the Lankershim Boulevard overpass, said Los Angeles Police Officer Jack Richter.

Both sides of the freeway were closed as the man moved from side to side, police said.

Firefighters below the overpass set up three air bags, which they scrambled to move as the man shifted his position, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The northbound freeway was closed at Lankershim Boulevard, while the southbound side was closed at Vineland Avenue.

Northbound traffic backed up to downtown Los Angeles as the afternoon commute got underway, according to SigAlert.com.

The man was taken into custody about 5:10 p.m.

— City News Service

[symple_googlemap title=”Freeway shutdown” location=”Hollywood Freeway and Lankershim Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”15″]

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