A man accused of arson and a group of looters targeting homes in evacuation zones amid the wildfires raging in Los Angeles County have been charged, officials said Monday.
The charges were filed against a group of people accused of residential looting in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas, while arson charges were brought against a man in Azusa, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said during a news conference.
Three suspects, Martrell Peoples, Damari Bell, and Travon Coleman, committed residential burglaries in Mandeville Canyon, stealing goods worth over $200,000, Hochman said. They were arrested and a number of stolen items were recovered from their apartment in Koreatown.
Others charged with looting include Rudy Salazar and Lucia Jilrara Perez, who face two counts each of first-degree residential burglary in connection with looting in Altadena on January 8. A third set of alleged looters stole from a home in Altadena, including an Emmy Award, which was recovered.
Jose Carranza-Escobar, a 39-year-old homeless man, is accused of attempting to light a large tree on fire at Pioneer Park. He was seen standing next to the flames and was promptly detained. Carranza-Escobar faces nine years in prison and was expected to be arraigned Monday.
Authorities have warned potential criminals from targeting homes that have been evacuated. In Santa Monica, authorities have arrested at least 10 burglary suspects since the Palisades Fire began last week. Six had burglary tools with them, and one pair had the Watch Duty app open on their phone to track evac zones.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has made 34 arrests since the start of the fires, Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday. “This is a strong message from all of us, that we are here and when we catch people, we mean business,” he said.
