Two people were arrested Thursday morning after allegedly trying to break into evacuated homes affected by a landslide in Rolling Hills Estates, officials said.
Deputies with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department were providing security to houses in the area when they were made aware of two people trying to burglarize the evacuated homes.
Deputies established a perimeter as the suspects tried to run into the landslide area, officials said.
The Torrance Police Department used a drone to help find the suspects and deputies took them into custody, officials said.
“We are grateful for the assistance our partners provided, as well as pleased we were able to apprehend these suspects. We are also appalled that there are people who see another person’s misfortune as an opportunity for them to benefit,” sheriff’s officials said in a series of tweets.
As of Wednesday, around 17 homes were being monitored amid the shifting ground in the area.
A dozen homes were red-tagged and unsafe, while five additional homes were evacuated over a broken sewer line, officials said.
A local state of emergency was declared by the city over the issue earlier this week.
The landslide was first reported Saturday night along Peartree Lane on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.