Brazil fugitive spends 24 hours atop electric pole

Itabira, Brazil (AFP): A fugitive fleeing the police in the Brazilian town of Itabira found an unusual escape route this weekend, climbing to the top of an electric pole and staying there for nearly 24 hours.

Police in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais had arrived to arrest the 38-year-old convict on Friday for violating his parole when he made a run for it, climbing onto the roof of his house and from there scaling a 10-meter (33-foot) utility pole, officials and Brazilian media reports said.

The man, whose criminal record includes armed robbery and theft charges, remained atop the pole for nearly 24 hours, from Friday until Saturday afternoon, refusing to come down, newspaper Estado de Minas reported.

He eventually gave himself up and was brought to the hospital for medical checks before being taken into custody by the police.

Utility company Cemig said in a statement the incident had forced it to cut power to around 380 clients in the area for more than a day.