NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — A woman climbed the Statue of Liberty on Wednesday and refused to come down for about three hours. She lay by Lady Liberty’s foot, roughly 100 feet off the ground, swinging her legs, waving below and even taking off her shoes to try to climb farther. All the while, NYPD officers surrounded her in helicopters and on the ground to get her down safely. “It seemed very dangerous,” one witness told CBS2’s Ali Bauman. Tourists first noticed the woman, identified as Therese Okoumou, around 3 p.m. “We were about to load the ship, and I was like, ‘is that a person hanging from the statue?’” witness Rachel McKinnon said. “So my husband pointed out to the ranger, and all of a sudden, he grabbed his radio and starting calling, and all of a sudden, there was just police running.” Visitors were evacuated from Liberty Island via tour boats, as two Emergency Services Unit officers climbed a ladder to the statue’s base, hoping to reason with the woman. “The angles that we had to go on, it was difficult to basically stand. There was nothing for us to grab,” Det. Brian Glacken said. The officers said initially she was hostile. “In the beginning, she basically threatened to push us off, push the ladder off,” said Glacken. But they kept calmly talking to her. Around 6:30 p.m. they finally had her cornered and could secure a safety line on her to walk her down and put her in handcuffs. “I think the turning point was that we had a good rapport with her, and when we got her and she couldn’t go any farther, I think she realized that her time was up up there,” Glacken said. Rise and Resist planned a banner drop today at the Statue of Liberty. This action did not include the climber on the statue. Our action was completed earlier. While it was not part of our action, our first priority and concern is for the safety of the climber. READ MORE: Caught On Camera: Man Attacks MTA Employee At Harlem Subway Station — Rise and Resist (@riseandresistny) July 4, 2018 CBS2 was told Okoumou came to Liberty Island with a group of protesters, seven of whom were arrested hours earlier for hanging a banner that read “ABOLISH ICE.” The group said Okoumou quietly broke away while they were leaving, and climbing up was never part of the plan. “There was definitely some people that was upset that it’s ruining their Fourth of July, but for me, it’s definitely just the safety of the person that’s up there,” one man said. Great Job by #NYPD ESU when they safely placed the protester that climbed the Statue of Liberty into custody. pic.twitter.com/zBs7cKmFHV — NYPD Special Ops (@NYPDSpecialops) July 4, 2018 “Today, it just makes me really thankful for all the policemen and firemen who were at the scene quickly,” said a woman. Okoumou is charged with trespassing, interference with national park regulations and disorderly conduct. She’s being held at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan and is expected to be arraigned Thursday morning. Witness Describes The Scene Another Witness Describes The Scene National Park Service’s Jerry Willis Security Expert Manny Gomez Rescue Expert On Statue Of Liberty Climber Last year a banner appeared across the base of the Statue of Liberty bearing the words “Refugees Welcome.”<doc-sep>Advertisement Woman arrested hours after climbing NYC's Statue of Liberty Share Shares Copy Link Copy A woman protesting U.S. immigration policy climbed the Statue of Liberty’s base and forced the monument’s evacuation on the Fourth of July hours after several other demonstrators had hung a banner on the statue’s pedestal and had been arrested.The climber engaged in a four-hour standoff with police before two officers climbed up to the base and went over to her. With the dramatic scene unfolding on live television, she and the officers edged carefully around the rim of the statue’s robes toward a ladder, and she climbed down about 25 feet to the monument’s observation point and was taken into custody.The woman had participated earlier in displaying a banner calling for abolishing the federal government’s chief immigration enforcement agency, said Jay W. Walker, an organizer with Rise and Resist, which arranged the demonstration.The group initially tweeted that the climber had “no connection” to the demonstration. Walker later said she was involved but others had no idea she would make the climb, which wasn’t part of the planned protest. He said he didn’t know her name.“We don’t know whether she had this planned before she ever got to Liberty Island or whether it was a spur-of-the-moment decision,” Walker said.Regardless, he said he felt the publicity would help the group’s cause.A spokesman for the National Park Service, which runs the monument, saw it differently.“I feel really sorry for those visitors today” who had to leave or couldn’t come, spokesman Jerry Willis said. “People have the right to speak out. I don’t think they have the right to co-opt the Statue of Liberty to do it.”The climber ascended from the observation point, Willis said. Visitors were forced to leave Liberty Island hours before its normal 6:15 p.m. closing time, he said.Earlier and farther below, at least six people were taken into custody after unfurling a banner that read “Abolish I.C.E.,” referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose officers arrest and deport immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, among other duties.WABC reported the climber was holding a t-shirt that says 'Rise and Resist' and 'Trump Care Makes Us Sick. 'Law enforcement officials were seen mounting a ladder to the base of the statue and talking to the woman, who was sitting in the folds of the statue's gown.The NYPD used a rope rescue system to help reach the woman and bring the woman down from the base. The initial reports of the person climbing the statue came in around 3 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after a protest group calling itself Rise and Resist dropped a banner that read "Abolish ICE" from the base of the statue.Visitors were being taken off the island via ferry.<doc-sep>Seven others were arrested earlier on Wednesday for dropping a banner there. A 44-year-old protester picked a patriotic location this Independence Day: the Statue of Liberty. Therese Patricia Okoumou, of Staten Island, was arrested after scaling the base of the statue and taking up temporary residence on Lady Liberty's right foot. Okoumou is expected to appear in Manhattan Federal Court on Thursday and may face misdemeanor charges including trespassing, disorderly conduct and violating national park regulations, police said. Liberty Island, where the statue is located, was evacuated and all visitors were taken off the island via ferry, a National Parks spokesperson said. Police were seen on the base of the Statue of Liberty, apparently trying to verbally engage with Okoumou before physically apprehending her. Footage from the scene showed the officers wearing harnesses and using ladders to scale the statue's base. Footage from helicopters showed her sitting at the base of the statue, occasionally lying on her stomach and kicking her feet up behind her, ABC station WABC reported. Okoumou was seen holding a t-shirt displaying the words "Rise and Resist" and "Trump Care Makes Us Sick." She wasn't the only protester arrested at the Statue of Liberty on Wednesday. Earlier that afternoon, seven people were apprehended for holding a banner that read "ABOLISH ICE" off the base below the statue, which is technically called Fort Hood. Rise and Resist is the name of a protest group that arranged the banner display, and they tweeted that the climber "has no connection to our #abolishice action earlier today." "Rise and Resist planned a banner drop today at the Statue of Liberty. This action did not include the climber on the statue. Our action was completed earlier. While it was not part of our action, our first priority and concern is for the safety of the climber," they wrote in another tweet.<doc-sep>
EMBED >More News Videos See the moment the NYPD apprehended the Statue of Liberty climber. T-shirt held by Statue of Liberty climber says 'Rise & Resist' & “Trump Care Makes Us Sick' https://t.co/Hkv9aUSw0U (📷s: @miranda_mor1) pic.twitter.com/ECq9XKHAoJ — Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) July 4, 2018 NEW YORK (WABC) -- After more than two hours, police apprehended a woman who climbed the Statue of Liberty.U.S. Parks Police evacuated Liberty Island after the woman, identified as Therese Patricia Okoumou, 44 of Staten Island, climbed to the base of the statue.Reports of a person scaling the statue started came in around 3 p.m. Wednesday, shortly after a protest group calling itself Rise and Resist dropped a banner that read "Abolish ICE" from the base of the statue.Officers responded to the scene with a helicopter and eventually moved their way up the statue near where Okoumou was located. At first, she put up a struggle with police officers.Okoumou moved around occasionally and waved a t-shirt at times. At other times she was seen lying on her stomach and kicking her feet up behind her. She was holding a t-shirt that says 'Rise and Resist' and 'Trump Care Makes Us Sick. 'Officers engaged in conversation with Okoumou to try to talk her down.NYPD Detective Brian Glacken said she was talking about the children in Texas. At first, he says Okoumou was not friendly with them, but they got a dialogue going with her so she could trust the officers. "The turning point was once we could safely go up. You know, I explained to her that we want you to come down that would be the best way. I think the turning point was we had a good rapport with her. And when we got her she couldn't go any further and I think she realized that her time was up up there," said Detective Glacken.During the time of the standoff, visitors were taken off the island via ferry. "We've had two unusual events occur back-to-back," National Park Service spokesman Jerry Willis told Eyewitness News. "So for the safety and security of our visitors, we decided to evacuate for the day. ""It's our busiest week of the year, historically," Willis continued. "The island at this time of the day is mostly near capacity, at 4,000 to 4,500 people. All boats have been tasked with moving people off the island. We have an evacuation plan. Given the heat of the day, the visitors complied with no issues. "Okoumou will appear in Manhattan Federal Court on Thursday.She is expected to be charged with national park regulations or public use limit; trespassing; disorderly conduct, and interfering with government functions. All are federal misdemeanors.Rise and Resist released a statement Wedesday night, saying in part,----------