9 charged in connection with robbery during LA fires; Emmy awards stolen

Prosecutors on Monday charged nine people with looting in areas burned by the Palisades and Eaton fires, and charged another man with intentionally setting a fire at Azusa Park during last week's fire.

Three people allegedly stole $200,000 worth of valuables from a Mandeville Canyon home in the early morning hours of Jan. 9, while another group stole $200,000 worth of valuables from a home in Altadena following the Eaton fire. Personal property, including an Emmy award, was stolen from a residence. Los Angeles County District Atty. Nathan Hawkman.

“Let me be clear: If you exploit this tragedy to prey on the victims of these deadly fires, we will find you and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Hochman said.

The charges filed Monday relate to three separate robberies in Pacific Palisades and Altadena amid fires that have burned a total of 35,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,000 structures. At least 25 people have died, but the number is expected to rise.

In one case, authorities said, Ring cameras captured several men walking through a home on Mandeville Canyon Road, a street lined with multimillion-dollar homes on a popular strip of entrance to the hiking trail. Two of them — Matrell Peoples, 22, and Damari Bell, 21 — were arrested the next day near the Koreatown apartment, Hodgman said. Charged with robbery and burglary, police recovered some stolen property at their residence. .

The third suspect, 27-year-old Travon Coleman, fled during an attempted arrest and allegedly caused a crash that injured a bystander, Hodgman said. Coleman was charged with hit and run. Both he and Peeples could face life in prison under California's “three strikes” law because they both have two violent felony convictions.

The other six people – 19-year-old Rudy Salazar, 36-year-old Lucia Jilrara Perez, 18-year-old Roy Sims Sims, 19-year-old Ryan Sims, 22-year-old Naquan Dewey Reddix and 19-year-old Pierie O'Bannon Obannon) has been charged with burglary in connection with thefts from several homes in Altadena that were affected by the hurricane. Hochman said a fire broke out in Eaton last week.

“Don't continue the looting, the online scams, the price gouging, don't violate the evacuation orders,” Hochman said Monday. “Don't commit any of the crimes where people are trying to profit from a tragedy.”

Authorities also showed footage of a fallen tree on fire at Azusa Pioneer Park, just two miles from the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. While the blaze is not related to any of the wildfires that have devastated Los Angeles County, Police Chief Rocky Wenrick said the fire could easily spread during last week's dangerous wind event.

Jose Gerardo Escobar, 39, was charged with three counts of arson, Hochman said. Authorities have not revealed a motive, if any, behind the fire.

The Azusa incident is the second suspected arson incident since the deadly fire in the Los Angeles area. Last week, Ventura County authorities named Juan Sierra, 33, a “person of interest” in the Kenneth Fire, which burned nearly 1,000 acres near the Los Angeles-Ventura county border. land and threatening homes in Calabasas.

Serra was arrested on the afternoon of Jan. 9 after residents saw him “attempting to set a fire” in a West Hills neighborhood, according to a law enforcement document obtained by The Times. As of Monday afternoon, the case had not yet been submitted to the Ventura County prosecutor, a spokesman for the district attorney's office said.

Officials have not yet determined the cause of any of the recent fires, but the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' National Response Team is investigating.

Under California law, a person who commits a burglary in an area that is under a state of emergency or evacuation order due to a natural disaster or disturbance is guilty of robbery. As of Monday, Los Angeles police and the Sheriff's Department reported that nearly 60 people had been arrested for robbery and curfew violations, with the number of prosecutions expected to increase in the coming days. Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna also said he expects more burglaries to be reported in fire areas as people are allowed back into damaged areas.

Several people were arrested over the weekend for impersonating firefighters in an attempt to enter evacuation zones, said Los Angeles Police Department Chief of Detectives Alan Hamilton. Hamilton said the men “conspired to engage in illegal activity, including robbery, in the Palisades Fire area.” He said he expects charges to be filed with the district attorney's office soon.

Since the fire, residents and law enforcement leaders have been on high alert for potential looters. On Thursday, Luna and Supervisor Kathryn Barger cited robbery arrests in the aftermath of the Palisades and Eaton fires as one of the reasons for calling in 400 National Guard members to Los Angeles County.

Curfews have also been enacted in parts of Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades and Altadena, with law enforcement empowered to arrest anyone who sees the restricted areas.

Residents in the affected areas appear increasingly nervous in recent days.

Signs were posted at several evacuated homes in Kent Canyon, Brentwood, on Saturday noting that the homes were monitored by surveillance cameras and private security to deter would-be burglars. Los Angeles Police Department patrol cars and private security trucks are a common sight in the neighborhood as most other vehicles roll down the hill.

In Santa Monica, police have chased at least 150 people from evacuation zones near the Palisades over the past week. According to Lieutenant Erika Aklufi, a total of 42 people were arrested.

She said ten people were arrested for burglary and six for possession of burglary tools. The remaining arrests were for other violations including curfew, drug possession, driving violations, outstanding warrants, parole and probation violations. None of those arrested were from Santa Monica, she said.

“We cannot allow people to take advantage of a disaster that has occurred,” said Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsay Horvath. “No one should take advantage of residents who are forced to flee for safety.”

Times staff writer Clara Hart contributed to this report.