Squatters have been wreaking havoc in parts of Los Angeles, setting fires and even carrying out a random attack in a troubling rash of violence that has left residents frightened.
The chaos first cropped up in Beverly Grove after an abandoned apartment complex was recently taken over by a group of vagrants.
“It’s been absolutely terrifying. We are on hold with our lives right now until this is resolved,” Anita Cavallo, a woman who lives in the Beverly Grove area, told ABC7.
On Thursday, a transient jumped a gardener working outside at a gated home in nearby Brentwood, one of the wealthiest parts of Los Angeles.
The shirtless suspect randomly approached the gardener and knocked him in the head with some kind of pole, according to Ring camera footage obtained by ABC7.
The gardener fell to the ground and held his hands up to try and defend himself as the madman continued to wail on him, the video shows.
The gardener sustained a nasty gash to the side of his head, bleeding profusely and staining his shirt red.
Back in Beverly Grove, one of the squatters who took over the apartment complex has repeatedly set their homeless haven on fire, forcing locals to extinguish the flames themselves.
The property owner of the abandoned complex claims to be in the process of demolishing and rebuilding the building, but fed-up residents feel their calls to local officials to clear out the transients fall on deaf ears.
“It feels like no one has proper answers for us. Everyone just blames someone else and tells us nothing they can do, so we don’t know where to go anymore for help,” Cavallo told the outlet.
Neighbors have estimated that around 20 vagrants claimed the vacant building.
Cavallo has been sending her daughter to sleep at her friends’ houses over concerns for her safety, she told CBS News.
California, for years, has been trying to address its homelessness epidemic.
In May, Gov. Gavin Newsom called on cities to ban homeless encampments on public property, including sidewalks and parks.
But many of the governor’s constituents in Los Angeles, hailed as the homeless capital of California, claimed the move was years too late.
Newsom also allocated a staggering $24 billion to local governments and municipalities in 2024 so other leaders could try and address the homeless nightmare.
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