39 arrests made in Eaton, Palisades fire zones as Los Angeles leaders crack down on crimes against disaster victims
Arrests near wildfire zones in Los Angeles continue to rise as more National Guard members have been deployed to the region.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has arrested 39 people in areas affected by the Palisades and Eaton fires. Sheriff Robert Luna said the majority of those arrests were made near the Eaton Fire.
As the number of arrests increased over the weekend, Luna requested additional National Guard members. Looting and theft remain a top concern for the sheriff's department as well as online scams.
"I also want to thank Major General Beevers, I was with him as well, fortunately, he has been able to increase the amount of National Guard assistance that he is giving us up to 600. He told me yesterday that if we need more, we can ask for more," Luna said at a news conference.
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has spoken at several news conferences since the start of the fires. Monday, he announced charges against 10 people, nine of those people were charged with burglarizing homes in the Eaton and Palisades fire areas. Filing charging documents against three alleged suspects list $200,000 worth of goods stolen from an evacuated home in Mandeville Canyon. Hochman showed Ring camera footage of the suspects in the home.
In an Altadena burglary investigation of an evacuated home, police recovered an Emmy award, among other items, as part of stolen property. Three suspects in this case are charged with one count each of residential burglary.
Two other suspects are charged with burglary for looting two evacuated homes on Jan. 8 in Altadena.
"It's not a question of if, but when you will be caught when you engage in these crimes," Hochman said.
Luna clarified that not all the arrests are for burglary, looting, or curfew violations. The sheriff's department has made arrests for possession of narcotics and firearms. He reminded people if they don't have business in the evacuated areas they should not be going there or flying drones.
Three people have been arrested in relation to two separate drone events, Luna said. The FBI is currently investigating an incident from last week when a private drone collided with a firefighting aircraft battling flames.
The drone violated temporary flight restrictions issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, a spokesperson for the FBI's Los Angeles field office said in a statement to CBS News. The flying restrictions will remain until Jan. 25 around the Palisades and Eaton fires.
Sunday afternoon, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would send an additional 1,000 California National Guard members to aid the response to the Los Angeles fires.
A curfew issued last week within the city of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Malibu, and all unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County, in evacuation order and warning zones, remains in effect. The curfew is enforced from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. to prevent looting and theft while residents remain evacuated.
Any person found in violation of the curfew could face a potential misdemeanor charge that is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000.
