Homeless driven from LA freeway cave

LOS ANGELES, May 28 (UPI) -- Authorities in Los Angeles have begun to force homeless people out from a vast area under the 10 Freeway near the San Gabriel River, officials said.

The Los Angeles Times reported Thursday that a small community has been living in the area for many years.

Officials say the area is not only a squatter's camp but also a hideaway for heroin addicts.

The Cave, as it's known, is accessible only by a narrow opening high in an outside wall of the structure, which is part of the support system for the freeway.

"It's basically a safe place to be because the cops can't get into it," said Richard Dafoe, 56, who has lived and around the cave for about a decade. "They're scared. They can't even go in without a whole lot of backup."

Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputy Paul Archambault, who is leading the cleanup effort, said the place has been home to dozens of people and that two babies have been born there in recent years.

The newspaper said freeway workers plan to seal the vault with solid metal plates.

Dafoe said he doubted the metal plates would be enough to keep people out. He said in time people would find another way in.

"I don't say we're gonna go in right away, but it's gonna happen sooner or later," he said.