Benito Flores, a 70-year-old man who illegally seized a state-owned home more than five years ago in El Sereno, is protesting his eviction and holing up in a tree house he built in the backyard.

Flores and his supporters warded off an attempt by sheriff’s deputies to lock him out Tuesday.

Public agencies said that Flores has no right to remain in the home, and it’s expected deputies will attempt another lock out soon.

Before the sun rose Tuesday, Benito Flores fortified the front door of his one-bedroom duplex on a narrow street in El Sereno.

Flores, a 70-year-old retired welder, had illegally seized a home five years ago after its owner, the California Department of Transportation, had left it vacant. He’d been allowed to stay for a few months, then was directed to this nearby home ow

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