Man dies after being pulled out of South LA donation box

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A man died Friday after paramedics pulled him out of a donation box in a South Los Angeles neighborhood.

A neighbor, who did not want to be identified, said she tried to help when it happened around 10 a.m.

"He wasn't moving so I said, 'Oh, wow. Maybe I better call 911.' So that's what I did. So by the time paramedics came, they tried to revive and get him out, but it took like 30 minutes to get him out. So they had to go and get these electric saws to get him out," she said.

Neighbors said paramedics tried to revive him, but it was too late. A few people believe they have seen the man at the box before, taking clothes and collecting bottles and cans on the street. The donation box is on a residential street, near empty parking lots.

Residents said the donation box shouldn't be there at all.

"Everywhere, clothes are pulled out of there. That could have happened to anyone - not just this man. This company, whoever decided...I guess they were trying to help the community, but all they did was add more junk to the community," Jackie Love said.

Another resident said she understood why people would try to get items out of the box, but that something needs to be done.

"That's what makes them go digging through here - to get stuff either to sell it for food or get clothes for their own family. I can't fault them for that. But again, this needs to be restructured because that's someone's loved one. I just hope it gets out to other people so this doesn't happen to them," Cheryl Johnson said.

There is no company name written on the box. Eyewitness News tried contacting a phone number on the side of the box, but the line was disconnected.