Common Trait Shared by Arrested Individuals During Palisades Fire in LA

Police have released mugshots of dozens of individuals accused of looting homes and stores in the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles during the recent deadly fires.

Since the fires started on January 7, over 40 people have been arrested by the police on various charges such as burglary and drug possession. Interestingly, none of the suspects were residents of the evacuation area.

Santa Monica Police reported that all the suspects were apprehended within the evacuated zone. Additionally, many of them were found to be violating the enforced curfew, which restricts movement from sunset to sunrise.

As the ongoing infernos have claimed at least 24 lives, anxious residents are preparing for another 24 hours of hellish weather conditions expected to propel the fires in new directions.

In all, four fires have consumed 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 carnage by thieving possessions from evacuated structures and combing the rubble for hidden treasures. 

Santa Monica Police said officers detained 10 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. 

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’.

‘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.