As if the wildfires laying waste to vast areas of Los Angeles aren’t enough to confront embattled residents, there is another threat that also challenges them in their fight to survive and rebuild their lives. Nine people have now been charged in relation to looting in evacuation zones around the fire zones, the area’s chief prosecutor said Monday.
The affluent Pacific Palisades, devastated by the fire that raged there last week, has been a particular target. Many neighborhoods were destroyed, but some homes remain intact — enticing looters, as Breitbart News reported.
AFP reports the charges include for one burglary that netted $200,000 and one in which an Emmy statuette was stolen, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters.
An alleged looter is arrested and taken away in handcuffs during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (Michael Nigro/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
One of those charged faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted, Hochman said, adding the legal action should serve as a warning to potential wrongdoers. Hochman said:
The question is not if, but when, you will be caught if you engage in these crimes. Do not commit any of these crimes in which people are trying to profit from the tragedy of the people who have suffered from these various fires.
Kathryn Barger, chair of LA County’s Board of Supervisors, has likewise condemned the spike in burglaries.
“Shame on those who are preying on our residents during this time of crisis,” she said.
Around 92,000 people remain displaced seven days after huge fires erupted around Los Angeles, killing at least 24 people.
Evacuation zones in which 12,000 structures lie in ruins have been declared out of bounds as police work to reassure residents that their property will be safe from looters with the National Guard deployed to assist, as Breitbart News reported.
But arrests continue to mount, and on Monday the first charges were announced, the AFP report noted.
Los Angeles County Sheriff deputies take a break from searching for potential looters near a swath of burned homes from the Eaton fire in the northwestern area of Altadena on Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025. (Will Lester/MediaNews Group/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin via Getty Images)
Two suspects were caught on a Ring doorbell camera invading a home in the affluent Mandeville Canyon area, which was threatened by the Palisades fire over the weekend.
Hochman said Martrell Peoples has previous serious convictions and, under the so-called “three-strike” rule, could be imprisoned for life.
His alleged accomplice, Demari Bell, could be jailed for more than 22 years. A third man was arrested for hit-and-run as police hunted down those responsible for the burglary, according to AFP.
One burglary suspect identified as 29-year-old Joshua Kaliel Love ran from police when they spotted him. He reportedly had a dagger, a tool for breaking windows, gloves, and narcotics.
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Love was also on probation when officers caught him.
Six other suspects have been charged with a number of home burglaries in Altadena, including the theft of an Emmy Award from one home.
No details were given about who owned the statuette.
