Homeless man found in underground vault in downtown Los Angeles

A homeless man has been found in an underground vault in Los Angeles – security camera footage shows him sneaking in and out of the hole.

The man can be seen in clips picking up what is supposed to be a boarded up utility door near the Japanese American National Museum in the SoCal city.

Food containers were found in the vault along with other debris that suggested a person had taken up residence in the space.

The Los Angeles Police Department told DailyMail.com that the man was arrested around 9 p.m. on July 3 for assaulting a police officer after the first restraining order came in.

The discovery is just the latest in a string of shocking incidents involving homeless people in a city that is experiencing a worsening homeless crisis.

Food containers were found in the vault along with other debris that suggested a person had taken up residence in the space. Pictured: An empty food container in the vault

An LAPD official said the call first came in around 8:56 p.m. for trespassing.

According to Van Kirk, guards working that night saw a man pick up the hatch door and drop a bag.

Another clip shows the man opening another vault door and jumping down before putting the lid of the chest back in place.

“The guards noticed the incident, called our director of security who came down,” museum director Doug Van Kirk told KTLA.

When officers arrived on scene, the man was found in the safe. They ordered him to come up and search his person and his belongings.

Van Kirk said police found a firearm “or a replica of a firearm” in his backpack.

He became belligerent and punched one of the policemen and was subsequently arrested for assaulting an officer.

The underground vaults are usually sealed for safety and contain water, natural gas valves and electrical wires.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power told the SoCal outlet that the specific vault where the man was found contained a water meter.

A video shows the man picking up the vent and throwing a backpack into the hole

When officers arrived on scene, the man was found in the safe. They ordered him to come up and search his person and his belongings

The situation happened in a vault near the Japanese American National Museum (pictured)

Inside the vault, along with pipes, debris and empty food containers were found

In this case, the vaults were not permanently sealed because utility workers have to go in and out for maintenance, LADWP said.

The vaults were re-secured on July 7, the agency said.

While the vault did not have access to the museum, Van Kirk said this is just one more incident involving the city’s unhoused population.

“We take the safety of our employees, our volunteers and our guests very seriously,” said Van Kirk.

The shocking video shared by KTLA upset residents who say they’ve had enough

“He doesn’t want your help, he just wants to live a free life with no taxes and be able to do whatever he wants,” one commenter shared.

“They will release him overnight and he will go back to live in a street safe, but somewhere else,” wrote another.

“He’s trying to survive and feel safe not to get robbed or hurt. So sad,” one wrote.

“We take the safety of our employees, our volunteers and our guests very seriously,” said Doug Van Kirk, CFO of the Japanese American National Museum (pictured)

Los Angeles is experiencing an unprecedented homeless crisis across the area.

In late June, some residents accused city officials of playing a game of cat and mouse with the homeless.

The city has cleared encampments only to see them return within hours or sometimes minutes.

Often the city gives people just 20 minutes to pack up and leave for major cleanups, but neighbors say they’ll be back soon.

Residents also claim the city is not providing shelter for those they move with, despite a new policy from Mayor Karen Bass to reduce so-called “sweeps” and help provide temporary housing.