Man Having 'Psychotic Episode' Rescued From Canyon

A 33-year-old man believed to have been having a psychotic episode was rescued after he fell in a Malibu canyon, a search and rescue team sergeant said.

The man was found around 9:15 p.m. Thursday in the 5900 block of Trancas Canyon Road, said Reserve Sgt. David Katz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Malibu/Los Hills Station.

A search and rescue team using night vision goggles and infrared imaging devices located the man, who is from Chicago, several hundred feet into the canyon and assisted him up the hillside to awaiting deputies and paramedics, Katz said.

"The steep canyon provided the perfect hiding place as it was littered with thick trees and bushes, making searching for the man particularly difficult," Katz said.

The tactical search and rescue operation demonstrated the search, rescue, tactical and law enforcement roles performed by the Malibu Search and Rescue Team, Katz said.

"The unique capabilities of our rescue team were pressed into action this evening. We deployed in a tactical search pattern, utilizing night vision goggles, infrared devices and defensive weapons while searching for the subject," Katz said.

The man was taken to a hospital for treatment and evaluation.

No details on the the nature of his psychotic episode will be released because of medical privacy laws, said a deputy at the sheriff's Malibu/Lost Hills Station.

The operation marked the 93rd this year, compared to 128 call outs for all of 2011.

-City News Service contributed to this report.