10 people charged with robbery, arson related to wildfires
A man accused of setting fires as wildfires raged in Los Angeles County and a group of looters who targeted homes in evacuation zones have been charged, officials said Monday.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hodgman said at a news conference that the charges were filed against a group of people accused of robbing homes in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas, and against a man in Azusa. Man files arson charges.
“These individuals are trying to exploit this tragedy for personal gain,” Hochman said. “These individuals are involved in looting and arson. We are also investigating price gouging and will be looking into Internet fraud, among other things.”
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Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman talks about Erik Menendez and Lyle during a news conference in downtown Los Angeles on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 Lyle Menendez was resentenced for murdering his parents decades ago. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
Hours after the fire, the three suspects, Martrell Peoples, Damari Bell and Travon Coleman, were found in Mander, Hodgman said. A residential burglary valued at over $200,000 was committed in Mandeville Canyon. He said they were discovered on the home's ring camera.
They were eventually linked to an apartment in Koreatown, where they were arrested. Officials said several stolen items were recovered from the home.
Authorities said Peoples, who has struck twice previously, will face a third strike, which means he could be sentenced to life in prison under California's three-strike law. Bell faces 22 years in prison.
Others charged include Rudy Salazar and Lucia Jilrara Perez, who were in Altadena when the Eaton fire raged on Jan. 8 Facing two counts of first-degree residential burglary following a robbery. The pair allegedly entered two homes and were caught entering a third.
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Screenshot of suspects robbing a house in Pacific Palisades. (Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office)
A third group of suspected looters stole an Emmy Awards trophy from an Altadena home and the item has been recovered, authorities said. They were identified as Roy Sims, Ryan Sims Quan, Naquan Dewey Reddix and Pierie Obannon.
“With the fires in the Palisades area and what we're experiencing in Los Angeles, isn't that bad enough? We might have 40,000 people evacuating an area and then we find a handful of people want to come up,” said Los Angeles Assistant Police Chief Blake Chow. It's not enough that they have to worry about things like their property and rebuilding. “
Arson suspect Jose Carranza-Escobar is accused of trying to light a tree that fell to the ground in Pioneer Park. At the time of his arrest, police said he was seen “standing next to the flames” and immediately took him into custody.
“During the course of the investigation, Carranza admitted to setting the fire and was arrested for arson,” the police statement said.
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Azusa police arrested a homeless 39-year-old arson suspect, Jose Carranza-Escobar, just steps away from a small patch of brush. He admitted to starting the fire while battling multiple large wildfires in Los Angeles. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
Escobar faces nine years in prison and is expected to appear in court on Monday.
Authorities warned potential criminals not to target evacuated homes. In Santa Monica, authorities have arrested at least 10 burglary suspects since last week's Palisades fire.
An Altadena home was robbed during the fire. (Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office)
Sources told Fox News that six of the people had burglary tools with them and a pair had the “Watch Duty” app open on their phones to track evacuated areas. The Santa Monica Police Department said officers were able to stop the burglary before it happened.
Overall, Santa Monica police have arrested 39 people in evacuation zones. None of the suspects live in the city.
(Left to right) Joshua Kaliel Love, Miguel Angel Dorantes, Gabriel Asaih Stokes and Dominic Pachecomanga are four of 10 suspects charged with burglaries within the Palisades fire evacuation zone in Santa Monica. (Santa Monica Police Department)
Those not charged with attempted burglary were arrested for curfew violations, drug possession, warrant violations and probation violations. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said at a separate news conference Monday that 34 people have been arrested since the fire.
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“This is a strong message from all of us that we are here and when we catch people, we mean it,” he said. “If you don't have any legitimate business in these areas, please stay away because our deputies are To stop people in a constitutional way, I might add, they are asking people questions.”
“We're looking at drugs. We're looking at people carrying guns. Guess what? None of them live in these areas,” he added.