Suspected copper wire thief found inside a manhole in West L.A., faces charges, authorities say

"A man who was found inside a manhole attempting to steal copper wire in an unincorporated neighborhood in West Los Angeles over the weekend was criminally charged on Tuesday, according to authorities. A resident reportedly spied a man descending into a manhole on Saturday afternoon and knew something unusual was up. The suspect lost his cover when arriving deputies found him in the hole and took him into custody, NBC4 reported."

"Copper wire thefts have wrought havoc in the city of Los Angeles, darkening the iconic 6th Street Bridge and neighborhoods and cutting off phone access to emergency services for residents, as well as causing internet outages. In May, copper wire thieves were suspected of cutting phone line service to seniors in South Los Angeles. The following month, copper thieves caused widespread internet service outages that affected swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura counties."

Police arrested Elliaz Natividad, 25, after a resident spotted him descending into a manhole in the View Park-Windsor Hills area and deputies found him inside. Natividad was charged with attempted grand theft of copper materials exceeding $950 and possession of burglary tools; he was cited and released the same day, Oct. 11. Authorities did not specify whether damage occurred. Copper wire thefts have caused power and service disruptions across Los Angeles, darkening the 6th Street Bridge, disrupting phone access to emergency services, and triggering internet outages that affected Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Officials urged Governor Gavin Newsom to sign Assembly Bill 476.

Read at Los Angeles Times