LAPD Clears Arson Suspect but Fireman Cites Video of Men Dumping, Lighting Gasoline Before Palisades Fire Exploded
Despite eyewitness and camera evidence of suspected arson in the Greater Los Angeles fires, authorities have yet to rule it as the cause of the blaze.
In one instance, a concerned resident showed firefighters video proof of arsonists setting fire to the city.
The citizen approached a senior fireman with the shocking footage on Tuesday, as the firefighter and his crew engaged the original Palisades blaze early on, an anonymous fire official told the U.K.’s Daily Mail.
“We had a resident come to us and said he got a video of two men dumping gas and lighting it off,” the Los Angeles Fire Department official told the Mail.
“By then we were too busy,” the firefighter added. “We told him to take the video to the police.”
The current whereabouts of the footage, however, are unclear.
While the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department responded to the Mail’s requests for comment, they did not answer questions regarding reports about arson specifically, according to the outlet.
Meanwhile, the L.A. Police Department told the Mail they “have not received any reports of arson.”
In a separate incident involving the Kenneth fire, which broke out on Thursday, police arrested a suspected arsonist after locals reportedly caught him in the act, according to KTTV in L.A.
Around 4:30 p.m. that day, the suspect was allegedly riding on a bicycle with a large blow torch in his hand.
When he tried setting multiple Christmas trees and garbage cans aflame, nearby residents helped put a stop to it.
“He was very, like, ‘I can’t stop. I can’t stop. I’m not putting this down. I’m doing this,'” one man told KTTV.
The individual was allegedly “very focused on moving forward with the blow torch.”
“And we’re like, ‘We can’t be doing that right now,'” the witness added.
The citizens took the individual to the ground and even zip-tied the man until police arrived to arrest and eventually detain him.
SEE IT: The moment Los Angeles residents apprehend a man carrying a blowtorch new the Kenneth Fire in California.
One citizen performed a leg hook on the suspect to restrain him.
The man is now in custody.
Absolute legends.
H/t @MattSeedorff pic.twitter.com/4kyLiMBXGE
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 10, 2025
But at a news conference Friday, police said there was insufficient evidence to charge the man for suspicion of arson.
WHAT???@LAPDHQ says they have NO PROBABLE CAUSE to charge the man who was caught trying to start fires using a blow torch with arson
— PNW Conservative (@UnderWashington) January 11, 2025
“After the interview and additional investigative steps, looking at some additional evidence that was present, they made the determination that there was not enough probable cause to arrest this person on arson or suspicion of arson,” said LAPD Assistant Chief Dominic Choi.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Choi said. “I would like to thank those community members that were involved … in bringing this person to our attention.”
Choi added, however, that the person was arrested for a felony probation violation.
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