Man accused of arson and group from robbers targeting homes in evacuation zones amid wildfires raging in Los Angeles County have been charged, officials said Monday.
Charges have been filed against a group of people accused of burglarizing apartments in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas, while arson charges have been filed against a man in Azusa, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said during a news conference.
“These are people who want to use this tragedy for their own benefit,” Hochman said. “These are people who have been involved in looting and arson. We have also investigated price gouging and will investigate internet fraud and the like.”
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Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman speaks about the re-sentencing of Erik and Lyla Menendez for the murders of their parents decades ago during a news conference in downtown Los Angeles, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)
The three suspects identified as Martrell Peoples, Damari Bell and Travon Coleman committed more than $200,000 worth of merchandise in residential burglaries in Mandeville Canyon hours after the fires started, Hochman said. They were spotted on a Ringo camera inside the house, he said.
They eventually linked them to an apartment in Koreatown, where they were arrested. Several stolen items were recovered from that home, officials said.
Peoples, who previously had two warnings, faces a third, meaning he could face a life sentence under California’s Three Warnings Act, authorities said. Bell faces 22 years in prison.
The other defendants also include Rudy Salazar and Lucia Jilrara Perez, who each face two counts of first-degree burglary in connection with a Jan. 8 robbery in Altadena while the Eaton fire was raging. The couple allegedly entered two houses and were caught entering a third.
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A screenshot of the robbery suspect at the Pacific Palisades home. (Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office)
A third group of alleged robbers stole from the house in Altadenaincluding an Emmy Award, which was returned, authorities said. They were identified as Roy Sims, Ryan Sims Quan, Naquan Dewey Reddix and Pierie Obannon.
“In the Palisades area and the fires that we’ve had in Los Angeles, isn’t it bad enough that we have potentially 40,000 people that have been evacuated from the area and then we have a handful of people that want to come up with activity to make them victims,” said Assistant Police Chief Los Angeles Blake Chow. “It’s not enough that they have to worry about their property and rebuilding and things like that.”
The arson suspect, Jose Carranza-Escobar, is accused of trying to set fire to a large tree that fell to the ground in Pioneer Park. He was seen “standing next to the flames” and was immediately taken into custody, police said at the time of his arrest.
“During the investigation, Carranza admitted to starting the fire and was arrested for arson,” the police statement said.
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Azusa police arrested 39-year-old homeless arson suspect Jose Carranza-Escobar just steps from a small brush fire they say he admitted to starting as Los Angeles battles a number of large wildfires. (obtained by Fox News Digital)
Escobar faces nine years in prison and is expected to be arraigned on Monday.
Authorities have warned would-be criminals not to target homes that have been evacuated. In Santa Monica, authorities have arrested at least 10 burglary suspects since the Palisades fire last week.
Robbery in a house in Altadena during a fire. (Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office)
It had six burglary tools with them, one couple had the Watch Duty app open on their phone to monitor evacuation zones, sources told Fox News. The Santa Monica Police Department said officers were able to stop the burglaries before they happened.
In total, Santa Monica police arrested 39 people in the 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 were four of the 10 suspects charged in the burglary inside the Palisades Fire evacuation zone in Santa Monica. (Santa Monica Police)
Those not charged with attempted burglary were arrested on curfew violations, drug possession, warrants and probation violations. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has made 34 arrests since the fire started. Sheriff Robert Luna he said at a separate press conference on Monday.
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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 have no legitimate business in this area, stay out because our deputies are stopping people in a constitutional manner, I might add, and asking people questions.”
“We’re getting narcotics. We’re getting individuals carrying guns. And guess what? None of them live in these areas,” he added.
