Mystery underground bunker unearthed in California street containing 1,000 stolen bikes and a loaded gun - accessed through a tiny trapdoor in the ground

Police said that the Fountain Valley enclosure was unearthed on Wednesday
City workers clearing homeless camps along a riverbed made the discovery
The gun, a half-loaded .357 Magnum, contained three empty shell casings
Bicycles were stored in a hidden-away dark tunnel system two-miles away from Santa Ana
Authorities said that they have opened an investigation and are searching for possible suspects

Published: 05:35 GMT, 19 November 2017 | Updated: 15:15 GMT, 19 November 2017

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A makeshift bunker containing more tan 1,000 stolen bicycles and a loaded gun has been discovered in Southern California.

Police said that the Fountain Valley enclosure was unearthed on Wednesday and was found as city workers cleared homeless camps running alongside a riverbed.

The bunker was camouflaged to blend in with its dirt surroundings and big enough for a grown person to stand inside, according to The Orange County Register.

Police said that the Fountain Valley enclosure was unearthed on Wednesday while clearing a homeless encampment

City workers discovered an estimated 1,000 bicycles and a half-loaded gun inside the bunker

'It just backs up the data that we've collected, which says there is a significant criminal element in the homeless encampments,' Orange County sheriff Lt. Jeff Puckett said.

The gun, a half-loaded .357 Magnum, contained three empty shell casings – meaning it had been fired, The Register noted.

The bicycles were stored in a hidden-away dark tunnel system two-miles away from Santa Ana and suggests a large-scale theft ring.

Authorities said that they have opened an investigation and are searching for possible suspects.

The bunker was discovered on November 16 following a clean-up effort of the homeless camp.

The bicycles were stored in a hidden-away dark tunnel system two-miles away from Santa Ana

Authorities said that they have opened an investigation and are searching for possible suspects

While clearing the area, they stumped upon a hatch, that led to a series of wooden steps that took them six feet underground.

The bunker, a reinforced, 10-foot-by-10-foot room, was big enough for a 5-foot-7-inch individual to stand upright, The Register reported.

'We're not sure what (the room) was for – probably some type of living situation,' Puckett said. 'It's nothing I've ever seen before.'

Needles found near a bunker containing 1,000 bikes in the Fountain Valley homeless encampment area

Residents in the area have entreated local authorities for months to clean up the area, and have routinely complained that homeless individuals living there had been harassing people in the community and stealing from nearby homes.

'I'm not surprised at any of these things they found, other than the bunker,' said Kris Gillan, who owns a condo in the area.

'This is why we tried and tried to get (sheriff's deputies and Fountain Valley) out there, but nothing was done for a long, long time.'

Police began cracking down on crime in the area in an effort to clean up the streets back in September, making hundreds of arrests.

Private security supervisor Todd Spitzer said that the bunker offered proof that 'the riverbed encampments are a serious public safety concern and the county must continue to clear out these trespassers.'

Social service workers, however, are concerned that clearing out the riverbed encampments will force the homeless to spread out and relocate will cause the same problems in numerous parts of the county.