Overview
- Police responded around 2 a.m. to reports of wire theft at an underground vault on West Germain Street in Chatsworth.
- Officers detained one person immediately as a second suspect barricaded inside a manhole for nearly four hours.
- After attempts including a K9 deployment failed, officers used tear gas and took the suspect into custody by about 6 a.m.
- The Los Angeles Fire Department stood by for safety, and an AT&T team later arrived as the company began its own review, according to local reports.
- California’s attorney general says telecom firms recorded nearly 6,000 copper-theft and vandalism incidents from June to December 2024, about one-third in California, with theft methods and resulting service disruptions affecting critical sectors.