WASHINGTON — The man who landed a grycocopter on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Wednesday had alerted the Tampa Bay Times in advance of his stunt, allowing the newspaper to have a reporter present to record it. The newspaper said it informed the Secret Service.
“This is one of the craziest stories I’ve ever done,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Ben Montgomery wrote on Twitter as the man took off. “I so hope nobody gets hurt.”
An hour later, he followed up, relieved: “He made it down safe. Arrested immediately. Witnessed moved way back. Can’t believe he made it.”
Montgomery interviewed the man — whose name has not been independently confirmed by CNN — before the Wednesday afternoon flight.
Montgomery reported that after the Secret Service visited the man at home last spring, “he decided he wanted someone to tell his story in the event he was hurt or arrested. After the Secret Service visit, he sought out a Tampa Bay Times reporter and explained his plan and motivation. He says he has no intention of hurting anybody and that he doesn’t want to be hurt either.”
Montgomery’s report was posted minutes before social media began to murmur about the gyrocopter over Washington. His report details the pilot’s preparation for his mission to the deliver messages on campaign reform to Congress.
According to Montgomery, the Tampa Bay Times called the U.S. Secret Service in Washington D.C. to see if they were aware of the pilot’s planned flight.
Michael Shananan, a friend and co-worker of the man, said he was “totally relieved” to see the man land at the Capitol.
“I had told him time and again that they will shoot him down,” Shananan said. “And the fact that they didn’t – I don’t know who made that decision — but I appreciate it very very much.”
When asked about the surge of media attention on Wednesday afternoon, Shananan said, “That was the point.”
“It was an act, basically, of civil disobedience — he wanted to let people know about what campaign finance laws, or lack thereof, are doing to this country.”
