First appearance on FOX video: Police and residents of Azusa, California, a small city in Los Angeles County, searched for a suspected arsonist Friday as at least three large wildfires threatened the area and winds were expected to pick up again. We worked together to stop it.
With more officers on patrol amid the wildfire emergency, Lt. Robert Landeros of the Azusa Police Department first responded to the scene after neighbors confronted a homeless suspect around 11:30 p.m. Responding officers quickly arrived at the scene in Pioneer Park and said the suspect was still there when the first officers were on the scene. Arrived.
“This was intentional,” Landeros told FOX News Digital on Monday. “Some of the neighbors confronted him and stopped him from setting more fires in the park.”
Video shows Azusa police officers handcuffing a man in the immediate vicinity of a swirling wildfire, which authorities say county firefighters quickly extinguished.
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Amid multiple large wildfires burning in Los Angeles, Azusa police arrested Jose Carranza Escobar, 39, a homeless man on suspicion of arson, in close proximity to smaller wildfires. The fire is believed to have been caused by arson. (Courtesy of Fox News Digital)
Police identified the suspect as Jose Carranza Escobar, 39, a “temporary resident” whose last known address was in Azusa. He admitted to starting the forest fire.
The arrests come as firefighters continue to extinguish at least three wildfires in Los Angeles County that have killed at least 24 people and damaged thousands of homes and businesses.
Carranza was jailed on charges of arson. Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman was scheduled to hold a news conference later Monday to provide more information about the Carranza incident and the fire-related looting arrests.
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Azusa police arrested Jose Carranza Escobar, a 39-year-old homeless man on suspicion of arson, in the immediate vicinity of a small brush fire amid several large wildfires in Los Angeles. The fire is said to have started. (Courtesy of Fox News Digital)
Landeros said the Azusa Police Department and partner agencies, including Hochman's office, the county sheriff's office, arson investigators from neighboring departments, and the California National Guard, have been working as wildfires rage through strong winds and dry weather. It said it had a “zero-tolerance” approach to arson. Southern California.
“Everybody's there,” he said. “We're watching. Our people are watching.”
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Amid multiple large wildfires burning in Los Angeles, Azusa police arrested 39-year-old homeless arson suspect Jose Carranza Escobar near a small wildfire. The fire is believed to have been caused by arson. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
The hilly area on the outskirts of the town is a high-risk area for fires, including homeless encampments, and has been the site of previous fires.
“We have ongoing enforcement operations in the area,” he said. “Residents are obviously nervous when there is a large fire.”
Strong winds are expected to hit the region again this week, potentially adding fuel to existing fires as crews continue to extinguish them. They can fan flames and knock down trees and branches that can catch fire.
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“The Azusa Police Department urges everyone to remain vigilant as the fire continues to impact the county,” Landeros said in a statement over the weekend. “We must be wary of individuals who may enter our communities with the intent to start fires.”
Last week, another group of Los Angeles residents stopped a homeless man carrying a torch. He was taken into custody, but police said there was not enough evidence to charge him with arson.
Video of the incident shows him holding a torch head and a yellow fuel tank before at least five residents surround him and wrestle him to the ground.
