2 men arrested following altercation at controversial makeshift RV park in Sylmar
Police said both men got into a verbal argument "for unknown reasons."
SYLMAR, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Tensions ran high Saturday as residents of a makeshift RV lot in Sylmar at the center of controversy scrambled to find a place to stay after being ordered to vacate.
Tempers flared in the evening when two men who were at the property got into a fight. Police said both men got into a verbal argument "for unknown reasons" around 6:40 p.m.
"He's pushing towards him trying to fight him and I'm like, 'Dude,'" said one of the men in video obtained by Eyewitness News.
It's unclear if the men were residents of the RV lot and details surrounding what may have sparked the altercation were not immediately available.
They were ultimately arrested for battery.
This comes after a a judge ordered the property needed to be vacated by Sunday due to electrical and sewage problems. The order included Cruz Godoy, who owns the property and lives in the main home.
With a heat wave bearing down Southern California this weekend, some of the residents are still looking for a place to go. Some were spotted packing their belongings and loading them into vehicles on Saturday.
WATCH | Residents of makeshift RV lot spotted packing up following vacate order
Residents say Godoy charges the residents around $500 a month for each mobile home. Aerial images show there are more than 20 RVs on the property.
"We are working with those folks now that need to be housed to get temporary housing," said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who spoke to the media on Friday during an event about homelessness.
Godoy spoke out on Friday, but didn't say much about her legal issues. She faces two misdemeanors for the hazardous RV colony. She only said she was "doing God's work," adding that she doesn't know anything about unsanitary conditions.
"I can't tell you anything about that," she said. "I don't know about any dirtiness. I don't see any dirtiness."
Neighbors of the property still want to know why it's taken so long for the city to take action after years of complaining of reported stenches and human waste pouring off the property and into other yards.
Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who represents the Sylmar area, blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for slowing the court system to a crawl.
But Bass blames the legalities surrounding RVs.
"We're convening a very specific task force to deal with RVs, because that's a situation that is all over the city and has proven to be more difficult than the tents, especially because the ownership of the RVs most of the time is not clear," said Bass.
So will everyone have a home come Sunday?
One RV tenant who spoke with Eyewitness News on Thursday said he was only promised a one-time reimbursement for lost rent and an offer of temporary shelter.
"I asked for housing. In this case, they said they couldn't. All they did, yesterday, they gave me some papers from the city for shelter. I really don't want to go to shelter. That's not for me," the man said.
