Szczecin man driven bananas by taxi fare escapes to treetops for 2 hrs

A man in the northwestern city of Szczecin spent 2 hours in a tree in the town center last Friday night before the police negotiator convinced him to come down. The man, who according to Reuters' reports climbed the tree to avoid paying a taxi fare, went on to hurl bananas at the crowd which had gathered around him. Police and firefighters were sent to the site. The fire brigade arrived equipped with ladders and set up an air-bag under the tree. After negotiations with the police psychologist, the man came down and was taken to hospital for observation. Reuters reports the fire brigade is planning to charge the man with the total cot of the operation - zl. 18,000. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A4, Reuters) M.T.K.