Mystery jumper suspect arrested in Newport and Laguna videotaped leaps; he’s charged with trespassing
A 28-year-old Laguna Niguel man who authorities suspect is the masked thrill seeker “8Booth,” known for death-defying videos of him leaping off buildings and cliffs in Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, was arrested Wednesday morning and charged with trespassing.
Anthony Booth Armer is charged with two misdemeanor counts of unauthorized entry of a dwelling and one misdemeanor count of trespassing with intent to interfere with business, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.
Laguna Beach police detectives took Armer into custody at 7:45 a.m. near his home.
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The daredevil 8Booth has jumped from private rooftops, hotels and cliffs into the ocean and swimming pools. His YouTube videos, posted as far back as two months ago, show him leaping from cliffs above Crystal Cove State Park and the Montage Laguna Beach resort, from hotels in Laguna Beach and off the roofs or railings of beachfront homes.
On Oct. 14, he posted a video of himself leaping from the top of the eight-story Newport Towers apartment building into Newport Harbor, narrowly missing a dock. Newport Towers security reported the incident to police.
8Booth often wears a bandana over his mouth along with sunglasses, covering most of his face.
Police said detectives identified Armer as the man in the videos through interviews with homeowners and other witnesses and obtained a warrant for his arrest.
The charges against Armer are related to three incidents: the Newport Harbor leap and two in Laguna Beach.
Armer is accused of climbing over a retaining wall onto the gated property of a private residence near Table Rock Beach in Laguna Beach on July 21, then climbing onto the roof and leaping into the ocean, authorities said.
The Laguna Beach Police Department investigated the incident after the video gained media attention, and the homeowner confirmed that Armer did not have permission to access the property, authorities said.
Armer also is accused of climbing over a wall on Sept. 29 to get into the employee-only areas of Laguna Beach’s Surf & Sand Resort before jumping from the fifth floor of the hotel into the pool. Hotel employees reported that incident to Laguna Beach police.
The district attorney’s office asked anyone with additional information or who might have been a victim of trespassing to contact local police.
Twitter: @HannahFryTCN
