NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Three men who climbed to the top of the AT&T building in downtown Nashville Sunday were arrested on multiple charges after an eagle-eyed witness on Broadway pointed them out to police.
The concerned citizen called 911 around 4:40 p.m. Sunday after noticing three people on the top of the building, which is the tallest in Tennessee, telling law enforcement they thought the behavior was suspicious, says Metro police.
Central Precinct officers who responded to the scene used binoculars to confirm the witness's claims, spotting one of the men "adjacent to a spire of the building" and another "lying down on the circular AT&T logo," says Metro police.
Officers entered the building while a police helicopter assisted in the search but no people were found on the roof. A floor-to-floor search was then conducted until an officer found three men hiding together in a locked stall in a bathroom on the 24th floor around 6:30 p.m. Metro police say the officer ordered the men to show their hands under the door of the stall at gunpoint. The three men complied and were arrested.
The three men have been identified by Metro police as Jacob Thomas Cieszynski, 26, Chase Cooper Lester, 26, and Ryan James McGarrity, 20. Cieszynski came from Chicago, Illinois, Lester from Culloden, Georgia, and McGarrity from Laguna Woods, California.
All three men have been charged with aggravated trespassing and disorderly conduct. Lester is additionally charged with possessing burglary tools after investigators reportedly found a crowbar and screwdriver in his backpack. Cameras were also seized from the three suspects, including a GoPro camera.
Metro police say one of the men told officers they heard the AT&T building was "the best place to get a view of Nashville," which led to them climbing stairs up to the roof, claiming they accessed the roof via an unsecured door.
Metro police praised the actions of the witness who saw the men and reported the incident to law enforcement, stating "We all benefit by each another’s vigilance."
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-Rebecca Schleicher
