POMONA : Young Graffiti Artist Gets Stranded on Sign

A 15-year-old boy who climbed a 35-foot sign overhanging the Corona Expressway in Pomona to allegedly spray-paint it with graffiti found it was easier to climb up than to scamper down, authorities said.

A motorist who noticed the boy spraying black paint on the sign near 2nd Street on Monday night called police. By the time officers arrived, a second boy who had been standing beside the sign had fled, but the 15-year-old was still there, apparently afraid to climb down.

Lt. Archie Johnson said police called the Fire Department, which sent a ladder truck to rescue the boy. The youngster was taken down the ladder and then held for investigation of vandalism.