Taking advantage of wildfires in California to pose as mineral firefighters and loot
Los Angeles city officials (California, USA) announced that they had arrested a suspect who disguised himself as a firefighter and exploited the wildfire situation to plot theft.
On January 12, the Los Angeles Police Department reported that 29 additional suspects had been arrested overnight near large fires, with 25 individuals arrested near the Eaton fire and 4 near the Palisades fire.
In the case near the Palisades fire, police discovered a man driving a pickup truck, pretending to work at a fire station. However, after a quick check with the Los Angeles Fire Department, it was found that his name was not on the staff list. The police immediately arrested the man and the other suspects in the vehicle, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“There are people who are willing to do anything to get what they want,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell, referring to a suspect who wore a firefighter uniform and broke into homes to steal items. Police indicated that the most recent arrests were made on individuals who were not residents of the area affected by the fire, some of whom were carrying guns and drugs.
Nearly a week after the wildfire outbreak in Los Angeles, authorities imposed a curfew, patrolled the area, and made multiple arrests for violating the curfew and attempting to exploit the chaos for theft. On January 11, Los Angeles police arrested two suspects near the home of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in the Brentwood neighborhood, after receiving reports of a possible burglary.
After some positive progress in firefighting efforts over the weekend, the wildfire situation in Los Angeles is expected to worsen this week. The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts strong winds, gusting at speeds of 80 - 104 km/h, from January 13 to 15. While the winds are not as severe as last week, the NWS warns that the situation is still extremely dangerous.
According to CNN updates on January 13, the wildfires in Los Angeles have caused at least 24 deaths, left dozens of people missing, scorched more than 16,000 hectares, and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.
