Firefighters Use Sledgehammers to Rescue Man Trapped Behind Brick Wall in Church Building

An LAFD ambulance drives through downtown Los Angeles on April 12, 2020. Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

A man who had become trapped in a church building in downtown Los Angeles was rescued by firefighters March 6 and was later detained by police.

Firefighters responded around 6:15 a.m. to a call about a man who was “trapped inside of the building’s ducting system” in a building on South Hill Street, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) said.

“Firefighters located a man behind a brick wall inside of [the] commercial building,” according to the LAFD.

The man was later taken from the area in handcuffs by the Los Angeles Police Department.

“The man was awake and talking to them, but trapped and unable to free himself. Firefighters breached the wall with sledgehammers and other tools to free the man. Paramedics evaluated him, found him to be in good condition, and he was released into LAPD custody,” authorities said.

Police are investigating whether the man was trying to burglarize the building, which houses a church, according to Fox11.

City News Service contributed to this report.