Search for campers who allegedly brandished machetes at hikers north of JPL fails to locate suspects
Crescenta Valley Station deputies responded to a heavily wooded area north of La Cañada’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory Sunday morning, after hikers called to report what appeared to be vagrants staying in a makeshift encampment confronting them with machetes.
Lt. Mark Slater, a watch commander for the station, said hikers were walking near the Gould Mesa Trail Camp north of JPL around 11 a.m. Sunday when they encountered a group of people who appeared to be camping or living in a clearing. A conversation between the two parties resulted in the campers there brandishing knives and machetes, according to a report of the incident.
Deputies organized a search for the potential suspects, using 4x4 vehicles and a helicopter to help gain access to the area described by the reporting party.
“It probably took us about 40 minutes to get everybody in place and get down there,” Slater said, indicating the area was very remote and not very accessible. “It’s a very treacherous road — we even blew out a tire on one of the [4x4 vehicles] and had to replace it.”
Ultimately, deputies were unable to locate the suspects as well as the people who’d placed the call and called off their search, the watch commander said.
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