Copper wire theft suspect in custody after standoff in Chatsworth manhole; AT&T vault targeted

CHATSWORTH, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A suspected copper wire thief was pulled from a manhole in Chatsworth, which police say he refused to come out of Tuesday morning after allegedly targeting a vault owned by AT&T.

Officers responded to a call about a copper wire theft in progress at an underground vault on Germain Street around 2 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

One person was detained, but police say another person stood down in the vault and refused to come out several hours later.

AIR7 was over the scene as authorities moved in and deployed tear gas cannisters to get the suspect out. A short time later, the suspect emerged and was taken into custody.

On Monday afternoon, an AT&T spokesperson confirmed to ABC7 that the vault is owned by the telecommunications company.

An AT&T team responded to the site after the incident and was recovering tools for its investigation, the spokesperson said.