Rescue teams hoist a man to safety after he was trapped by the rain-swollen Los Angeles River.
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The man was on a small island in the river at the northeast corner of Griffith Park. The location is just west of the interchange of the 134 and 5 freeways.
Nearby residents on the east side of the river called police when they saw the man on the island, which is covered with trees and thick brush. Authorities said they were concerned that the man might be swept away if the water continued to rise after Monday morning's storm.
A sergeant with the Glendale Police Department said the operation was complicated by power lines above the island and wind.
"We had high-tension lines on three sides of us," said Lance Messer, who piloted the rescuer helicopter. "I had to position the aircraft pretty close to the wires to get the rescuers over the area."
A rescuer was lowered from a helicopter to the island. The man, identified as Paul Haynes, was harnessed to the rescuer and both were lifted from the island.
"It was a very tight spot," said rescuer Jim Goldworthy. "Initially, they lowered me down and I was going to climb over one of the stumps to get to the victim, but the area they lowered me down in had about three or four feet of water."
Authorities said Haynes lives on the island, which normally is not surrounded by high water.
"I was more concerned for (the rescuer) because he was on that line," said Haynes. "Other than the helicopter coming down on us, I was more concerned with him getting caught in the tree."
Authorities said the rescue operation took about 20 minutes.
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