SEATTLE (AP) — Police have been trying to coax a man out of an 80-foot tall tree in downtown Seattle after he climbed nearly to the top, disrupting traffic.

Seattle police say someone called 911 Tuesday morning to report a man in the conifer used by Macy's at Christmastime. Police say when authorities arrived, the man refused to speak with them and threw an apple at medics.

"Issue appears to be between the man and the tree," Seattle police tweeted.

By Tuesday afternoon, police said traffic was being tied up as officials closed nearby roads as a precaution.

Negotiators were still trying to talk the man down from the tree with assistance from the Seattle Fire Department.

The unidentified man also ripped several branches from the tree and tossed them at the ground.

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