A man accused of destroying property and a group of looters who targeted homes where people were fleeing wildfires in Los Angeles County has been charged, officials said Monday.
Charges have been filed against a group of people suspected of burglarizing homes in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas, and arson charges have been filed against a man in Azusa, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said at a news conference.
“These are people who want to take advantage of this crisis for their own benefit,” said Hochman. “These are people who have engaged in looting and arson. We have also investigated the increase in prices and we will investigate internet scams and the like.”
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Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman speaks about the retrial of Erik and Lyle Menendez for killing their parents decades ago during a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Three suspects identified as Martrell Peoples, Damari Bell and Travon Coleman burglarized homes in Mandeville Canyon with approximately $200,000 worth of property in the hours before the fire started, Hochman said. They were spotted on a Ring camera inside the home, he said.
They were eventually linked to an apartment in Koreatown, and arrested. A large amount of stolen property was recovered from the home, officials said.
Peoples, who has two previous strikes, is facing a third, which means he could face life in prison under California’s Three Strikes Law, authorities said. Bell faces up to 22 years in prison.
Others charged include Rudy Salazar and Lucia Jilrara Perez, who are charged with two counts of burglary related to a robbery in Altadena on Jan. 8 as the Eaton Fire rages. They are said to have entered two houses and were caught entering the third.
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A screenshot of the suspects in the Pacific Palisades home robbery. (Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office)
A third group of burglaries suspected of stealing from an Altadena home, including an Emmy Award, has been recovered, authorities said. They were identified as Roy Sims, Ryan Sims Quan, Naquan Dewey Reddix, and Pirie Obannon.
“In the Palisades area and the fires that we’ve experienced in Los Angeles, isn’t it bad that we have about 40,000 people, evacuated from the area, and then we get a number of people who want to come and harass them,” said Los Angeles police assistant Blake Chow. “It’s not enough that they have to worry about their buildings and rebuilding and things like that.”
The suspect who set fire to the house, Jose Carranza-Escobar, is suspected of trying to set fire to a large fallen tree in Pioneer Park. He was seen “standing near the flames” and was quickly arrested, police said at the time of his arrest.
“During the investigation, Carranza admitted that he started the fire and was arrested for arson,” said a police statement.
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Azusa police have arrested 39-year-old suspect Jose Carranza-Escobar, who destroyed a house just steps from a brush fire they said he admitted to starting while Los Angeles was battling several major fires. (Sourced by Fox News Digital)
Escobar faces up to nine years in prison and is expected to appear in court on Monday.
Authorities have warned would-be criminals to head to evacuated homes. In Santa Monica, authorities have arrested at least ten burglaries since the Palisades Fire started last week.
Burglary at Altadena home during fire. (Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office)
Six had burglary tools, and one couple had the Watch Duty app activated on their phone to track escapees, sources told Fox News. The Santa Monica Police Department said officers were able to stop the burglary before it happened.
In all, Santa Monica police made 39 arrests at the exits. None of the suspects live in the city.
(From left to right) Joshua Kaliel Love, Miguel Angel Dorantes, Gabriel Asaih Stokes, and Dominic Pachecomanga are four of the 10 suspects charged in the burglary of the Palisades Fire Department in Santa Monica. (Santa Monica Police Department)
Those not charged with attempted burglary were arrested for curfew violations, drug possession, burglary warrants and probation violations. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has made 34 arrests since the fires started, Sheriff Robert Luna said Monday in a separate press conference.
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“This is a strong message from all of us that we are here and when we arrest people, we mean business,” he said. “If you don’t have a legitimate business in these areas, stay outside because our deputies stop people in a way that is consistent with the constitution, I might add, they ask people questions.”
“We’re coming up with drugs. We’re coming up with people with guns. And guess what? None of them live in these areas,” he added.
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