Massive Cleanup Effort Bulldozes Infamous Hillside Homeless Dwelling

By ALEXANDRIA BORDAS | Reporter

After back-to-back brush fires plagued the bluffs along Via de las Olas earlier this month, multiple homeless sweeps and arrests were conducted by a joint effort of officials from California Highway Patrol (CHP) and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) on Sunday, Nov. 15.

The day-long operation took place on Will Rogers State Beach and throughout the hillsides off Pacific Coast Highway between Chautauqua Blvd. and Temescal Canyon Road. The efforts resulted in the cleanup of one homeless man’s infamous hillside dwelling that has drawn concern from many community members over the years.

The ocean-view hillside shelter included makeshift plumbing, cooking facilities, a solar energy system and an elevated bed, among other amenities. A sign saying “The Beast” with an arrow pointing to the cave dwelling was prominently displayed nearby.

That’s what the homeless man calls himself—“The Beast.”

He has been living along the hillside for over three years and has been arrested on more than one occasion. According to authorities, he was previously convicted of killing another homeless individual and served a few years in jail.

“We have a Governor’s Executive Order that enables us to handle the homeless situation slightly differently than LAPD. We talk to them and at the end of the day our mission is to get them to a shelter and offer them lasting services,” said CHP Public Information Officer Leland Tang, who was one of the officers involved in the sweep.

Tang said he and his team went into The Beast’s cave and offered him services before asking him to leave but were met with resolute anger.

“I knew this was a hot-button topic in the Palisades with a lot of people concerned about him so we tried to offer him help, but he wasn’t hearing us,” Tang told the Palisadian-Post. “It was difficult to speak to him since he was yelling over us with expletives. It is not always easy to communicate with these individuals.”

Tang told the man he needed to leave for both the safety of surrounding residents and for his own safety. The hillside is covered with dead eucalyptus trees and could cave in at any moment, according to Tang.

At one point, the homeless man began to act confrontational and Tang’s partner pulled out his Taser but ultimately did not need to use it, Tang said.

“He finally left and walked across the street without a physical altercation,” Tang reported.

Tang noted that although this was a victory in terms of safety, it is important to remember how difficult the situation is for The Beast as well.

“He doesn’t have anywhere to live. We tried to tell him we would put him in the patrol car and take him to a shelter but no, he didn’t want it,” Tang said.

Caltrans needed three trucks to haul away all of the trash, each holding up to one ton of accumulated debris from The Beast’s cave area.

“Caltrans filled in the hole that he carved out for himself and they recreated the landscape around that area so water won’t be able to pool up there,” Tang described. “We got rid of most of the dead trees so overall it will be difficult for him to go back up there.”

Tang said CHP did not cite The Beast or arrest him.

“They’re homeless so there is nothing to really cite The Beast for. LAPD can arrest him in the future if he decides to come back, but there is no room in our jails and he would be back on the streets before LAPD finished their shift,” Tang said.

Tang echoed the sentiments of many government officials and community groups who say that one of the solutions to the homeless crisis is permanent housing.