L.A. arson probe: Suspect arrested in string of fires
Officials said the “person of interest” detained early Monday in connection with a string of more than 50 deliberately set fires has been arrested and is expected to be booked on arson charges later in the afternoon.
No new arsons have been reported since the suspect was taken into custody, but police stressed that the investigation is ongoing.
The fires have caused $2 million in damage, authorities said.
At a news conference Monday, officials said the arson task force is sifting through about 100 clues in the case.
Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, interviewed at the Rose Parade by City News Service, said: “I feel very good that we’ve got the right guy. [The suspect] had the right stuff in his van, and we are very confident we found our man.”
The suspect is a native of Germany who may have been in dispute with federal immigration officials, sources said.
The man appears to have been battling the U.S. government over the immigration status of a relative, but the officials said they don’t know if this played any role in the arson case. The Los Angeles Police Department is in communication with federal immigration officials concerning the dispute, the law enforcement sources said.
LAPD detectives found materials inside the man’s minivan that could have been used to set fires, the sources said.
All the sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.
Little is known about the suspect. Sources said the minivan had Canadian license plates but that detectives say the man is from Germany.
The man was detained near a drugstore at the corner of Fairfax Avenue and Sunset Boulevard early Monday morning, according to a witness to the incident.
Several sources said the man is believed to be the same person seen in a surveillance video released by police Sunday, when authorities pointed to the individual as a “person of interest” in the case.