405 Freeway experiences hours-long congestion due to man lying under blanket on freeway bridge

Late night travelers were subjected to an extensive traffic snarl on the 405 Freeway Thursday evening as law enforcement responded to an emergency situation in Inglewood, where a man was reportedly lying on a bridge over the freeway. 

The incident began at around 6:30 p.m. after California Highway Patrol officers received reports of a man climbing a fence by the bridge near the Manchester Boulevard onramp. 

Once he climbed the fence, the man was reportedly lying down under a blanket. 

Los Angeles County Firefighters were also called to the scene to assist with the situation. 

After nearly five hours, the man was taken into custody.

Sky2 over the scene showed bumper-to-bumper traffic for miles in both directions as authorities attempted to handle the situation.

CHP had closed all but one lane on both the northbound and southbound sides of the 405 Freeway beginning at around 6:40 p.m., and were reopened just after 11 p.m. As the closure continued, traffic was redirected to La Cienega Boulevard and Manchester Boulevard.