Federal Arson Investigators Dispatched to Los Angeles Fires

A firefighter with the urban rescue team (R), along with another firefighter, looks through the remains of a house reduced to rubble by the Eaton Fire during search and rescue operations in Altadena, Calif., on Jan. 13, 2025. Search teams looking for people killed in devastating Los Angeles blazes moved from house to house, as firefighters girded for hurricane-force winds that could spark further flare-ups. Etienne Laurent/AFP via Getty Images

Local officials have called in federal agents specializing in arson to investigate the origins of the Palisades and Eaton fires that have killed at least 24 people and devastated swaths of Los Angeles County in the past week, officials announced Jan. 13.

“We are investigating all the fires for potential arson,” U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada told reporters.

A special team from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) with experience in bombings and large arson events arrived in Los Angeles Monday morning to start its investigation, according to Estrada.

Los Angeles Sheriff Robert Luna said that about 20 drone incursions a day have been detected over the fires, and that the FBI is investigating.

Luna added that his department had arrested three people for two drone incidents since the fire started.

Charges have also been filed against nine people relating to looting and one person relating to arson during the ongoing fires, Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced Monday.

Arson

The arson suspect allegedly started a fire in Azusa, Hochman said.

Police in Azusa, a city located about 30 miles northeast of Los Angeles, arrested Jose Gerardo Escobar, 39, a homeless man, at about 11:30 p.m. Jan. 10 in Pioneer Park. He is being held on $20,000 bail.

Officers say Escobar was allegedly seen by witnesses igniting a large tree in the park. Escobar was standing next to the flames when officers arrived, Azusa police said in a social media post on Jan. 11. He was arrested and booked into jail, and has admitted to lighting the fire.

Escobar is facing three arson charges and was expected to face a court arraignment Monday in Covina, according to Hochman.

“He is looking at nine years in state prison,” Hochman said.

Residents begin to return to the Pacific Palisades after the destruction of the Palisades Fire near Los Angeles on Jan. 9, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Looting and Burglary

Hochman’s office also filed charges against nine other people in three cases related to looting and burglary.

In the first case, Matrell Peoples, 22, and Damari Bell, 21, were charged with first-degree residential burglary and looting during an emergency or evacuation, which is grand theft. The charges are related to the burglary of a house in Mandeville Canyon. The canyon was evacuated after the Palisades fire, which started in the Pacific Palisades, spread northward.

Prosecutors also allege Peoples committed the offense while on state prison parole and Bell was on felony probation.

Bell is also charged with two counts of possessing a firearm by a felon.

If convicted, Peoples faces life in prison and Bell faces 22 years, eight months in prison.

The district attorney’s office has recommended a $1.1 million bail amount for Peoples and a $310,000 bail for Bell.

A surveillance video from the property showed three men wearing hoodies and backpacks entering an apartment in the area on Jan. 8.

Peoples and Bell were stopped by law enforcement in a vehicle that was driving away. Inside the vehicle, officers allegedly found $200,000 in items from the apartment, Hochman said.

A third person, Trevon Coleman, 27, allegedly drove away from the apartment but didn’t pull over for police. Police say Coleman drove through a red light and hit an oncoming vehicle. The driver of the oncoming car was injured, receiving a concussion.

Coleman faces life in prison if convicted of causing great bodily harm as a felon, Hochman said.

In a second case, Rudy Salazar, 19, and Lucia Jilrara Perez, 36, face two counts each of first-degree residential burglary in connection to an alleged break-in at an Altadena residence Jan. 8.

Police say the two entered different houses at about 2:30 p.m. in Altadena, stealing property in each of them, Hochman said.

They were arrested by police and face a maximum of six years in prison for each count if convicted, according to the district attorney.

The two pleaded not guilty during their Jan. 10 arraignment. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 29 in Los Angeles.

In the third case, four people face one count each of first-degree residential burglary in connection to the early morning break-ins at evacuated homes in Altadena.

Among the variety of personal property stolen was an Emmy Award, Hochman reported.

Roy Sims, 18, Ryan Sims, 19, Naquan Dewey Reddix, 22, and Pierie Obannon, 19, were charged with one count each of first-degree residential burglary in the case, according to Hochman’s office.

They pleaded not guilty during their arraignments Jan. 10. A hearing is set for Jan. 28 in Pasadena. Each faces up to six years in state prison, according to Hochman. Reddix, and Obannon posted bail and were released.

Curfews remain in place in the fire zones from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

First responders work together in combating the Palisades Fire as it destroys homes and businesses near Los Angeles, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2025. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

The Los Angeles Police Department is continuing to investigate other possible crimes resulting from the fires, including instances of suspects impersonating firefighters to gain entry into evacuation zones, according to the department’s Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton.

“We anticipate announcing additional arrests in the future,” Hamilton said during the news conference Monday.

Detectives are monitoring social media and going undercover to investigate, he added.