SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — At an apartment complex in Kensington, a neighbor's tip led to a staggering discovery: Squatters had turned the boiler room into a drug and prostitution den.
Off El Cajon Boulevard, Emma, a resident at the complex, says a neighbor told her there were people coming in and out of a door that fronts an alley.
Soon after she and a maintenance man tried to open the door. They couldn't. Someone had changed the locks. They tried another entrance.
"He was trying to push it open. All of sudden we just got that stench," said Emma.
Along with a powerful stench, there was a staggering sight.
"Lots of clothes, and lots and lots of shoes. A lot of drug paraphernalia, and there were buckets of human waste," Emma said.
One shelf was lined with bottles of urine. Amid the mess, there were also electronics.
"There were five laptops, and three to five cell phones and chargers," said Emma.
Nearby were several bikes, a dockless scooter and a skateboard. Neighbors describe the squatters as a white man in his 20s and three young black women. One of those neighbors spotted evidence of what the room may have been used for.
"He has seen these women get patrons from the bar down the street and bring them back, and give services ... It's disheartening on a thousand different levels," said Emma.
After their den was discovered, police were called. Emma says the residents then left the group a letter asking them to leave. Surprisingly, they wrote back.
"To whom it may concern we apologize for any inconvenience or disrespect we may have caused. They said that they understood and would be leaving soon," said Emma.
Based on statements from neighbors, Emma believes the group may have been in there for a month.
