20 Looting Suspects Arrested In LA, Sheriff Issues Stern Warning

LOS ANGELES, CA — Over two days of fires that sent people fleeing from their communities and for their lives, nearly two dozen people were arrested on suspicion of looting burned homes, according to LA Sheriff Robert Luna on Thursday morning.

"We are up to 20 individuals who chose to go into our areas and deprive these poor people, who have been through so much, of their property," Luna said at a Thursday morning news conference. "Unfortunately, I do expect that to go up. We're not going to tolerate that kind of activity."

Luna and other officials are reissuing stern warnings to those attempting to enter established evacuation zones.

"For those who want to take advantage of others, we’re going to be there and we’re going to be working to hold you accountable," said Los Angeles Police Department Chief Jim Mcdonnell.

Luna said anyone trying to enter a designated evacuation zone at any time of day or night will be required to state their business to law enforcement. Those who remain in such areas will be subject to a misdemeanor.

"If you commit certain crimes, it could jump up to a felony," he said. "It's 24/7, I don't have to wait for the sun to go down or the sun to come up. If you are in one of these areas and you don’t belong there, you are going to be subject to arrest."

Some 400 LA County Sheriff's personnel will be patrolling and helping residents evacuate, Luna said, adding that the California National Guard is on standby.

Burned Homes Targeted Amid Chaotic Wildfire Spread

Despite orders to evacuate, private security guards remained on duty across the Palisades Wednesday morning. They could be seen on guard outside multimillion-dollar homes or going inside them to ensure nothing was amiss.

“We actively patrol nonstop just driving around,” Arturo Garcia, a security guard working in the Palisades told the Los Angeles Times. “As soon as they see the lights on the top, [looters] know.”

People whipped through streets within the evacuation zone on scooters and electric bikes. It was impossible to tell who were residents eschewing orders to get out and who was there to steal items from evacuees' homes — because no one is lawfully allowed within the evacuation zone.

While those motorized modes of transport were favored by homeowners who stayed behind, they also provided a nimble transport for looters, KCAL reported Thursday night from the scene of the Sunset Fire.

“Homeowners tell me they’re afraid to leave right now. In fact, our cameras saw three men on scooters immediately turn around when they saw police,” reporter Madison Keavy said on air.

In the Palisades, Garcia told the Times that he and his partner had chased a duo on a moped off a client’s property. They caught another man leaving a home with a luxury bag filled with a drone and a toy car.

Garcia declined to tell the paper how many clients’ homes he and his partner were paid to protect in the Palisades, only saying “it’s a bunch.”

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