LAPD Shuts Down 'Human Trafficking' Fears After Images Showing 'Help' Signs in Shipping Yard Go Viral

Authorities recently debunked a social media conspiracy theory in which users believed human trafficking was occurring out of a Los Angeles shipping container yard due to chilling "HELP" signs discovered around the location.

On Monday, the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that the concerning messages being left around one Los Angeles shipping container yard could be attributed to a single individual who the LAPD had been in contact with several times.

"We've had several different contacts with the individual you speak of. He has refused housing or a mental health evaluation," the LAPD wrote on X. "There is no evidence of Human Trafficking. He has been at the location for a few years."

Social media users became concerned about the operations occurring within the shipping container yard after satellite imagery depicted signs around the yard. The signs included various words and slogans, including "HELP," "FEDERAL," "L-A-P-D" and "TRAFICO," reported Straight Arrow News.

Images of the site then began circulating the internet after first being spotted on Google Maps. Some consisted of messages spelled out in pipes and planks of wood, while others were simply writing in the dirt, including phrases such as "FBI" and "TERRORISMO", which is Spanish for "terrorism".

Investigations had been conducted into the yard by civilians and social media personalities, including popular Twitch gaming group the FaZe Clan, who live-streamed their visit to the site before being chased off of the property by dogs.

Another social media user, @LAguy310 on X (formerly Twitter), visited the site and spoke to a woman living nearby who told him that the signs were being left behind by one man, named José, and were not indicative of a larger human trafficking scheme.