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Suspect in fifty-plus West Hollywood arson fires arrested
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
January 3rd, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
January 3rd, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
A suspect has been arrested in 53 arson fires that have recently plagued the West Hollywood area. The majority of the fire, which started on Thursday of last week - were restricted to vehicle fires. Authorities say the suspect will be charged with arson.
The arrest occurred after a sheriff's deputy stopped a van near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood early Monday, Moore said. The van matched the description of a vehicle believed related to some of the arson fires and the suspect resembled a man seen in a surveillance video near the scene of one fire, he said.
The video depicts a man who appears to be in his late 20s to mid-30s, with a ponytail, dark hair and a receding hairline.
A fire-setting "binge" preceded the man's arrest, with 11 of the fires taking place overnight, in the very early hours of Monday and nine within the city of Los Angeles and two in West Hollywood.
The joint arson task force, organized after investigators saw a pattern to the fire, will continue its work despite the arrests, Los Angeles Police Commander Andrew Smith said at a news conference. "We're not resting," Smith said. "Remain vigilant."
No one has been killed or seriously injured, though one firefighter was slightly injured. More than $2 million in damage has been reported.
It was unclear if there was any connection between the two men arrested last week, ages 22 and 55, and the newest suspect.
"It's an absolute abomination that this person would do this in a very densely populated area of Los Angeles," one official is quoted as saying. Los Angeles has not seen such a rash of fires since the city's riots in 1992.
Some of the fires spread to nearby buildings, though no injuries have been reported. Among the homes damaged was one that was once occupied by the Doors lead singer Jim Morrison.
"When you have millions of people living with millions of cars in these very dense neighborhoods, this is becoming a new form of domestic terrorism that really has got our community in a very bad spot," West Hollywood Mayor John J. Duran said Saturday.
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