Los Angeles cleared a freeway homeless camp and arrested more than 25 people after animal advocates exposed what they say was a puppy-selling operation hidden under the overpass.
Story Snapshot
- On Thursday, October 29, police and city sanitation crews cleared a camp beneath a freeway on the Sun Valley-Arleta line.
- Councilwoman Imelda Padilla said police arrested more than 25 people during the sweep.
- An advocate says a woman at the camp was selling puppies out of a wooden box for $45 to $100.
- City Animal Services workers removed all the cats, several dogs, and chickens and roosters found at the camp.
- An advocate said an Animal Services officer had come out earlier and left after the suspected breeder denied selling puppies.
Arrests Mount As Crews Move In
Los Angeles police and city sanitation crews moved in on a sprawling homeless camp beneath a freeway along San Fernando Road, near the line between the Sun Valley and Arleta neighborhoods of the San Fernando Valley. Councilwoman Imelda Padilla, whose district covers the site, said in an Instagram video from the scene that police had arrested “more than 25 people.” Officials have not said what charges those arrested face.
"A sprawling homeless encampment beneath a Los Angeles freeway became the target of a major crackdown this week, with more than 25 people arrested and dogs, cats and chickens rescued after furious animal advocates exposed the troubled area."https://t.co/UwmABFhrOa
— bluoz (@auweia1) October 30, 2026
The sweep came after animal advocates raised alarms about the camp. Padilla said the city had long known about the site. “This is not a location that we have not known about,” she said, “but this is the beginning of us being more aggressive at asking the county to also do their part.” She called the sweep “the beginning of the end of this location being seen as a place for homeless individuals” “who are also engaging in illegal activity.”
Puppies Sold From A Wooden Box
Joey Tuccio, a longtime animal advocate, said he and another volunteer went to the site after reports of dogs living in drainage pipes and sewers near homeless camps. “This woman was pulling puppies out of a wooden box, saying that she’s selling them for $45, $100,” Tuccio said, sharing video he recorded there. He said it was the mother dog’s fourth litter and that the last litter all died.
Tuccio said one whole litter died of parvovirus, a highly contagious illness in dogs that can be fatal. He said another puppy was struck and killed by a train. Tuccio also said an Animal Services officer who came out earlier left after the suspected breeder denied selling puppies and refused to have the dogs spayed or neutered. The woman has not been named, and officials have not announced any charges against her. Los Angeles already has rules that limit dog breeding and the sale of animals in public places.
Animals Pulled From The Camp
Padilla said city Animal Services workers were “slowly but surely rescuing dogs, plenty of cats,” and that crews had also found “some chickens and some roosters.” Tuccio said crews “removed all the cats, and they removed multiple dogs.” He said one dog had already been adopted by a member of Padilla’s staff.
Tuccio gave Padilla credit for acting, but he said her office moved too slowly. “Padilla’s office took way too long, I think,” he said. “They should have acted immediately.” He added, “If I could go under a bridge and in five seconds find a puppy mill, then the police could too.” A puppy mill is a breeding operation that puts profit ahead of the animals’ health.
A Pattern Playing Out Across Los Angeles
Sweeps like this one are common in Los Angeles. In a University of California, Los Angeles study of homeless people in the county, police were involved in 53 percent of camp sweeps, while homeless outreach workers took part in only 15 percent. The city has spent more than $320 million over three years on Inside Safe, its program to move people from camps into shelter. That program has moved about 5,200 people indoors, and about one quarter of them have found permanent housing.
For residents who have watched California spend billions on homelessness, the scene under this freeway is a familiar frustration: heavy spending, repeated sweeps, and a camp that grew big enough to hide a backyard puppy business before anyone stepped in.
What Comes Next
Padilla said she plans to bring a motion asking the city’s Bureau of Engineering and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works for changes to the site that would keep the camp from coming back. “What we need is some real aggressive interjurisdictional hands,” she said, meaning city and county agencies working the site together, with “boots on the ground consistently, consistently, and consistently.”
Tuccio said the problem reaches well beyond one overpass. “This is a wake-up call for every council member that we’re coming for all of you,” he said. “Every council member’s on notice.”
Sources:
yahoo.com, nypost.com, ph.ucla.edu, tradeoffs.org
