Woman believed to be under the influence of drugs refuses to come down from Canoga Park tree

CANOGA PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A woman who climbed 30 feet up a tree near the Lanark Recreation Center in Canoga Park was refusing to come down Monday night, drawing a large crowd.

The incident was taking place in the 21800 block of W. Lanark Street, near Topanga Canyon Boulevard.

Police said the woman was spotted earlier smoking narcotics before she climbed the tree. As of 11 p.m., she's been in the tree for about four hours.

At one point, it was believed that the woman threatened to jump, but officials later said the woman was not trying to harm herself and did not appear suicidal.

Firefighters and police have tried to convince her to come down but while under the influence of drugs, police said she's not in the right state of mind. Authorities even brought the woman food after she said she was hungry.

Firefighters at the scene remained concerned for her safety and put out a giant airbag in case she was to fall out of the tree.

"We just want to make sure she comes down as safely as possible," said LAPD Sgt. Benjamin Sadeh. "Obviously, she's not in the right state of mind at the moment, so we're doing everything we can to convince her to come down on her own."

Police said the woman is not committing a crime by being in the tree but continued to negotiate with her.