Arrests Made in Los Angeles Wildfire Looting, Arson Suspects Could Face Life Sentences
As flames ravaged the region over the previous week, the District Attorney for Los Angeles County, Nathan Hochman, announced on Monday that charges would be brought against nine individuals suspected of looting and one individual accused of setting fire to property.
“These crimes are appalling and represent a direct attack on our community during a time of unprecedented loss and vulnerability,” Hochman stated. “Let me be clear: If you exploit this tragedy to prey on victims of these deadly fires, we will find you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
The charges against the individuals who are suspected of looting are mostly related to domestic burglary; however, Hochman stated that at least one of the suspects is also facing a charge of felony hit-and-run causing great bodily injury.
Hochman claimed that a number of those who were arrested had previously been convicted of felonies, which would result in terms that might vary anywhere from decades to life in prison if they were found guilty.
According to Hochman, at least one of the items that was allegedly taken was “an Emmy Award belonging to the resident who lived there.”
These crimes are by no means the only cases of this kind that have occurred.
Within the days that followed the outbreak of the Palisades and Eaton fires, dozens of arrests were made by law enforcement officials.
Between January 7 and January 12, the Santa Monica Police Department made an announcement that they had arrested more than forty individuals who were located within evacuation zones.
Ten of those individuals were arrested for suspected burglary. Not a single person who was taken into custody was a resident of Santa Monica.
A transient by the name of Jose Carranza-Escobar has been identified as the person suspected of setting fire to the building in Azusa.
After he was observed “standing next to the flames,” he was taken into custody without delay. The authorities stated that Carranza-Escobar eventually admitted to being the one who started the fire.
According to Hochman, the fire was promptly confined and did not burn out of control once it was contained.
After going over the arrests that have been made up to this point, the authorities issued a warning to those individuals who are contemplating engaging in some looting of their own.
“The question is not if, but when, you’re captured in connection with these crimes,” Hochman stated.
“We’re aware that there are other crimes that have occurred … I anticipate that we’ll be announcing additional arrests in the very near future,” said Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton, the Los Angeles Police Department’s chief of detectives. Additionally, authorities have reported arrests for drone flying and curfew violations in the fire zones.