Australian authorities arrested a 22-year-old man on Tuesday after he allegedly climbed and vandalized Melbourne's Bolte Bridge, sparking a nine-hour police standoff and major traffic disruption.
The suspect, identified as Jack Gibson-Burrell, peacefully surrendered to law enforcement officials just before midday after descending from one of the 140-meter-high pillars.
Police had been negotiating with the Yarraville resident since 2 a. m.
following reports that an individual had scaled the structure to paint a large cartoon bird tag.
During the incident, a recently created Instagram account under the handle @pambirdofficial published video stories showing an individual at the top of the tower accompanied by a specific hashtag.
"I'm not coming down until they lower the taxes. Fucking sick of paying that shit," said a man's voice in one of the uploaded videos.
The individual also displayed defensive gestures toward the officers situated on the ground before requesting additional supplies to cope with the 4C morning temperatures and dense fog.
Police Response and Damage
"It drew a lot of police resources to respond, including specialist resources," said Acting Inspector Darren Wallis.
The police official noted that the unauthorized activation required extensive emergency services and resulted in noticeable property degradation on the eastern tower.
"It was protracted, and the allegation is that the offender has caused significant damage to the Eastern Tower of the Bolte Bridge, which is going to be a considerable cost to the public," Wallis said.
The department expressed gratitude to local commuters for avoiding the area during the active containment zone operations.
"It was a particularly precarious situation, quite dangerous to the accused person," Wallis told reporters.
Authorities managed to resolve the high-altitude confrontation securely after extensive dialogue on the embankment.
"It was difficult for us to negotiate that safe conclusion but we got it," Wallis said.
Gibson-Burrell has previously faced 209 legal charges linked to the widespread "Pam the Bird" graffiti network, which has targeted multiple heritage-listed landmarks across Melbourne.
State prosecutors previously accused him of causing approximately $700,000 in damages, including an incident in July 2024 where he allegedly abseiled the Flinders Street station clock tower.
The defendant previously entered a not guilty plea regarding the prior vandalism cases and secured legal bail in May under strict judicial requirements.
His current bail conditions mandate a $30,000 financial surety, a nighttime curfew, travel bans, and a strict prohibition against possessing any abseiling or graffiti equipment.
