Pro-life ‘Spider Man’ caused at least $100,000 in damage to the Las Vegas Sphere during climb before being arrested for the stunt
A man calling himself ‘Pro-Life Spider-Man’ has been arrested after climbing the outside of the Las Vegas Sphere and causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Maison Des Champs, 24, has been charged with destruction of property and conspiracy to destroy private property after he was seen on video climbing the Sphere, causing $100,000 in damage.
He was arrested after Las Vegas police received calls after 10 a.m. about a person climbing the 370-foot-tall spherical structure near the Strip.
Des Champs is a local mountaineer who has previously climbed skyscrapers in Las Vegas and beyond.
A spokesperson for the Sphere said: ‘We are grateful to the local authorities for their support in this matter. The individuals involved are currently in the custody of LVMPD.”
He posted an Instagram video with a GoPro camera from the top of the Sphere on his head, explaining that he scaled the building on February 7 to raise money for a homeless pregnant woman.
He later said in a separate post that the money raised will help the woman “cancel her abortion appointment.”
But Sheriff Kevin McMahill, chief of the Las Vegas Police Department, called the incident a publicity stunt.
He addressed the ‘stunt’ at a press conference, saying: ‘We know people are going to test us. We know people are going to try things. As we sit here today, an individual – for a publicity stunt – is climbing to the top of the Sphere.
“Your first responders are out there taking care of everything. “We know these things are going to happen, and we’re going to address them as they happen and make sure we have the safest Super Bowl we’ve ever had.”
He posted an Instagram video with a GoPro camera strapped to his head from the top of the Sphere, explaining that he scaled the building on February 7 to raise money for a homeless pregnant woman.
Following his arrest, a spokesperson for Sphere Entertainment said: “We are grateful to local authorities for their support in this case. The individuals involved are currently in the custody of LVMPD.”
The city will host for the first time Super Bowl this Sunday, which is expected to attract more than 330,000 visitors.
Matthew German, Sphere’s Vice President of Security and Threat Management, told The structure is not intended to be touched by individuals due to its fragile construction.
According to officials, there are 58 million lights on the Sphere and 1.2 million pucks, each containing 48 lights.
The lamps stand on an aluminum rail and cannot support the weight of a person without damage.
Sphere officials said that due to the large number of lights, they cannot estimate the exact amount of damage at this time, but expect it to exceed $100,000.
Des Champs was booked into the Clark County Detention Center.
Following his arrest, a spokesperson for Sphere Entertainment said: “We are grateful to local authorities for their support in this case. The individuals involved are currently in the custody of LVMPD.”
He was also arrested in Arizona last year for climbing the 450-foot Chase Tower, known as The tallest building in Phoenix to promote his anti-abortion cause days before the Super Bowl.