LA's lowlifes: The 'looters, burglars and drug addicts' arrested during Los Angeles Fires
Dozens of those accused of looting homes and stores in the ritzy Pacific Palisades enclave of LA during the deadly fires have been pictured in police mugshots.
Cops charged more than 40 detainees with various offenses including burglary and drug possession since the fires broke out on January 7.
Remarkably, none of those arrested were actually living in the evacuation zone and seemingly travelled with the intention of taking advantage of the devastation.
Santa Monica Police said each suspect was arrested within an evacuated area and most of them were in violation of the overnight curfew law from sunset to sunrise.
The fires have claimed at least 24 lives, with weary residents now preparing for another 24 hours of hellish weather conditions which are expected to propel the fires in new directions.
The four fires have destroyed more than 40,000 acres across the most affluent neighborhoods of LA, with A-list celebrity homes and restaurant hotspots among the 12,300 structures wiped out.
A gallery of shame shows the people accused of taking advantage of the destruction by thieving possessions from evacuated homes and by combing the rubble for hidden treasures.
Santa Monica Police said officers detained ten burglary suspects within the Palisades Fire evacuation zone and six of those arrested were carrying 'burglary tools'.
Three of the ten burglary suspects have been pictured, including Joshua Kaliel Love - who was found carrying a dagger, a window-breaking tool, a mask, gloves, narcotics and a gold window punch, cops said.
A gallery of shame shows the people accused of taking advantage of the carnage, including Joshua Kaliel Love (second row, first column), Miguel Angel Dorantes (second row, third column), and Dominic Pacheco Magana (first row, third column)
Santa Monica Police said officers detained ten burglary suspects within the Palisades Fire evacuation zone and six of those arrested were carrying 'burglary tools'
Santa Monica Police said each suspect was detained within an evacuated area and most of them were in violation of the overnight curfew law
Officers arrested Kaliel Love, who was on probation, in an alley behind the 600 block of the San Vicente Boulevard after he tried to evade police by running away.
Dominic Pacheco Magana, 18, and Miguel Angel Dorantes, 22, are also accused of conspiring to burgle homes after they were pulled over driving a van displaying stolen registration stickers.
Officers scoured the vehicle and found black Nike nylon gloves, a black ski mask and three large freight tote bags and black t-shirts.
Pacheco's phone had the Watch Duty app open. The app monitors fire and evacuation zones.
'Based on the items located inside the vehicle, the location of the vehicle stop, the ski mask, and the attempt to conceal their identity and avoid detection by removing the license plate, officers arrested the duo for being in the mandatory evacuation area with the specific intent to commit residential burglaries,' police said.
Santa Monica Police said two people were also arrested for being in possession of concealed handguns.
The rest of the detainees were arrested for violations including drug possession, driving violations, outstanding warrants, parole and probation violations.
Santa Monica Police said there was a 'significant increase in the normal number of arrests in the neighborhoods in the evacuation zones north of Montana and Wilmont'.
Police have charged more than 40 detainees with various offenses including burglary and drug possession since the fires broke out on January 7. The fires are ongoing across Los Angeles
Some suspects were pulled over in vehicles displaying fake license plates (shown above)
A firefighting helicopter drops water on the inferno as the Palisades Fire grows out of control
'Our dedicated team of officers did a phenomenal job saturating the evacuation areas and tamping down criminal activity,' the department said in a media release.
Two people have also been arrested for lighting fires, including Ruben Montes, 29, who was detained for arson on Sunday in Irwindale, roughly 16 miles away from Altadena, where the deadly Eaton Fire continues to rage.
Mexican national Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was also taken into custody after allegedly being caught on video walking with a yellow blowtorch before he was confronted by residents in Calabasas, west of Beverly Hills.
Extreme dry weather conditions due to a prolonged drought, dry vegetation and powerful Santa Ana winds that reached up to 80 mph in some areas this week created the 'perfect storm' for the fires.
National Weather Service meteorologist Todd Hall said dry winds reached speeds of 40mph on Tuesday morning in coastal and valley areas and 50mph in the mountains.
Gusts up to 65mph were forecast to continue through midday Wednesday as firefighters struggle to contain the infernos.
The Palisades Fire, which had razed 23,700 acres as of 10am Tuesday, is only 17 percent contained.
Just north of Pasadena, the Eaton Fire has burned through more than 14,000 acres, and was only 35 percent contained by 10am Tuesday.
The Hurst Fire north of San Fernando is almost extinguished with a 97 percent containment after burning through 800 acres.
A fourth major blaze - the Auto Fire - broke out on Tuesday in Ventura. The latest inferno has burned through 56 acres so far and is zero percent contained, per the Cal Fire heatmap.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14283461/los-angeles-fire-looters-burglars-arrested-share-common-trait.html
Jose Gerardo Escobar, 39, (pictured being arrested) has been charged with one count each of felony arson; arson during a state of emergency; and attempted arson, the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced today
At least 24 people have died and 12,000 buildings burned to the ground in multiple fires across Los Angeles
Ruben Montes, 29, (pictured) being arrested for arson
Homeless arson suspect and illegal immigrant Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva was taken into custody near where one of the three Los Angeles wildfires broke out
Officials took Mexican national Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva into custody but said they lacked probable cause to arrest him on arson charges, and instead arrested him on a probation violation. He was carrying a yellow blowtorch.
Some 29 people have been arrested across Los Angeles accused of looting fire ravaged homes
Authorities have vowed to prosecute to the full extent of the law anyone caught looting
With tens of thousands of displaced LA residents who have lost all but the clothes they were wearing, plus a few select personal items, insurance companies will be on the hook for colossal payouts
Pictured: A man on a motorbike passes a sign that reads 'Looters will be shot' in a mandatory evacuation zone at the Eaton Fire on January 12, 2025 in Altadena, California
View of damaged structures and homes caused by the Palisades Wildfires in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles
Bella Hadid over the weekend shared a photo of her childhood home in Malibu burning down amid the ongoing fires tearing through LA. Well, she can always move back to"Palestine".
The light of a fire fighting helicopter illuminates a smoldering hillside
A helicopter drops water on the Palisades Fire
A fire fighting helicopter drops water at night
A plane is seen dropping fire retardant
Damaged Los Angeles power grid
Mayor Bass laughing. The Mayor has come under fire for her decision to cut around $17.5 million from the fire department budget this fiscal year, among other things.
Actor James Wood blamed the fires on Karen Bass and Gavin Newsom
Khloe Kardashian posted a furious response to the Mayor's handling of the crisis earlier this week
Communist Mayor Karen Bass was on a trip to Ghana when the fires broke out
The Democrat/Communist Mayor, 57, has faced calls to resign for the devastating and incompetent response to the LA wildfires
Bass was in Ghana on a diplomatic trip when the first fire broke out in the ritzy celebrity enclave of Pacific Palisades (pictured) and spread rapidly up to famous surf spot Malibu and down toward Santa Monica
Local returning home to inspect the damage
Cadaver dog searching for human remains
The death toll is expected to grow as cadaver dogs gain access to the smoldering wreckages of entire neighborhoods which simply 'no longer exist'
Beloved Altadena was reduced to rubble
Pictured: Flames from the wind-driven Eaton Fire engulf a house in Altadena, California. Notice how the smoke affects the color of the Sun.
LA County Public Health issued a public health order, stating that the fires had 'severely degraded air quality...posing immediate and long-term risks to public health'
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