Trash load dumped onto downtown street over fear of man trapped inside

Traffic stunk in downtown Los Angeles Tuesday morning over a report of a man trapped inside a trash hauler, prompting the load to be dumped in the middle of the street.

The trash was dumped in the middle of the roadway on Grand Avenue near 6th Street after an apartment-dweller reported seeing a man trapped inside, officials said. No one was found.

The report was called in to authorities at about 6:30 a.m. from a resident in a building near the intersection, said Los Angeles police Officer Norma Eisenman.

The witness told authorities that as the man struggled to get out of the truck, another large load of garbage was dumped on top of him, according to Fire Department spokeswoman Katherine Main.

The sanitation crew immediately dumped their haul onto the street to find the man, with firefighters helping to sift through the mess, but no one was found. There was no immediate estimate of how much trash was dumped.

Crews had cleaned up the mess by about 9 a.m.

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