The son-in-law of the elderly woman said they heard noises for weeks that “were kind of like knocking” and “chucked it off to animals” before they reported the incident, with the family saying they believe the man had been living in the crawl space for up to six months.
A man has been arrested after he was reportedly found naked in a crawl space of a 93-year-old woman’s home in Los Angeles.
According to NBC News and KCAL News, on Thursday night, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) responded to a report from a family who claimed they heard banging noises coming from under the El Sereno home, saying they had been hearing the bizarre sounds for weeks.
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When officers arrived at the scene, they reportedly discovered a naked man under the home in a crawl space.
The elderly woman’s grandson told KCAL News that it took hours for police to get the man to surrender and come out of the hole, with officers reportedly resorting to tear gas. According to the outlet, the family called police around 9 p.m. on Thursday night, and the naked man did not come out of the space until 4:30 a.m. early Friday morning.
The woman’s grandson also said police discovered blankets and food under the home, adding that police allegedly believe the man had been coming into the crawl space at night and leaving in the morning. The LAPD described the man, per KCAL News, as a “barricaded suspect.”
Meanwhile, the 93-year-old woman’s son-in-law, Richard Silva, described the noises the family allegedly heard for weeks.
“It was usually late at night, and we just chucked it off to animals being under the house,” Silva told NBC News.
“The noises were kind of like knocking. It was kind of like, as my wife was walking, they were kind of knocking back from under the house so she says, ‘You know something’s wrong,'” he continued, adding the sounds became louder on Thursday night.
The man was arrested by police and was identified by 27-year-old Isaac Betancourt, per NBC News and KCAL News.
“He refused to leave. He wasn’t scared of the dogs, and the first two attempts at gas didn’t fish him out,” Silva recalled to NBC News.
While it’s yet to be confirmed how long Betancourt had been living in the crawl space, the family believes he may have been staying under the home for up to six months, according to the outlet.
Per NBC News, the hole is only two feet high, expands under the home, and has three points of entry, with the family reportedly suspecting he would use one entryway to come and go.
Silva told the outlet that the situation is “bizarre,” but “not probably uncommon.” He added, “In this day and age, people are looking for shelter.”
The family added that they plan to secure the space to make sure a similar situation can’t occur in the future.
Police arrested Betancourt for trespassing, according to NBC News. However, he also faces a misdemeanor charge, per PEOPLE, citing Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department inmate records. According got the outlet, Betancourt was released on Saturday and is scheduled to appear in court next month.
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