Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Nathan Hochman announced arson charges Friday against six people who set fires around L.A. County in the wake of the devastating Palisades and Eden fires.
A man who sneaked into a Malibu evacuation zone and pretended to be a firefighter was also arrested, Hochman said.
Couches, trash, a discarded Christmas tree and a dumpster were set on fire on Jan. 13 and 14 as emergency officials braced for a dangerous wind event that fueled the blaze that destroyed more than 10,000 homes. It has claimed at least 25 lives across LA County since January 7.
According to Pamela Johnson, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office, none of the arsons are linked to any of the larger wildfires burning across the county.
“To anyone who believes this disaster can be used as cover for criminal activity, let this be your warning: You will be caught and you will be held accountable,” Hochman said in a statement. “The citizens of this county deserve safety and justice, especially in the wake of such an unprecedented disaster.”
Officials said the incidents occurred in Los Angeles, Southgate, Huntington Park, Hawthorne and Compton. Prosecutors allege that on Jan. 13, 35-year-old Manuel Rodriguez set fire to a dumpster behind the Donald Bruce Kaufman Library on San Vicente Boulevard in Brentwood.
No one was injured in any of the subsequent fires. When there was Widespread speculation about the cause of the recent fire, Investigators have publicly discussed only the possibility that the Kenneth Fire near the LA-Ventura County border was intentionally set. In that case, 33 years Juan Sierra was named a “person of interest.” But no charges have been filed yet.
Hochman also announced Friday that he will file charges against 34-year-old Evan Cedric Reed for impersonating a firefighter while sneaking into a Malibu evacuation zone. On Jan. 14, sheriff's deputies found Reed wearing a “yellow firefighter jacket” and a “first responders radio” on Clifftop Way in Malibu, according to a district attorney's news release. Reid claimed to be a firefighter but was arrested by the LA County Sheriff's Department.
Reid has been charged with receiving stolen property, impersonating a firefighter, unlawful use of a badge and entering a closed emergency area.
The wave of robbery and arson charges is expected to continue as area police have announced dozens of arrests for both crimes since the firestorm. Hochman filed similar lawsuits against nine defendants on Monday.
Jan. Burglary suspects dressed as firefighters were arrested in a Palisades fire evacuation zone on 12, and charges have been filed against prosecutors for impersonating LA firefighters, according to Alan Hamilton, chief of detectives in the case. To the Los Angeles Police Department.