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Looters arrested by taking advantage during LA wildfires: sheriff
Looters arrested by taking advantage during LA wildfires: sheriff
LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna took a hard stance on Thursday in light of the devastating wildfires raging through Southern California.
Thieves taking advantage of abandoned property and anyone who doesn't heed evacuation orders will be arrested, he said.
Twenty people so far have been arrested for looting, Luna said, adding that "depriving these poor people who have been through so much…absolutely unacceptable."
Unfortunately, Luna said, he expects that number to rise.
Luna added that he is going to tell his deputies that if residents are told to evacuate their homes – and they don't – then they might face either a misdemeanor or felony.
"If you are in one of these areas, and you do not belong there, you are going to be subject to arrest," Luna said. "I hope that is as clear as I can make it. Our first choice isn't to do enforcement. It's not to make an arrest. It's to help people. But if people choose to commit crimes, they're going to be held accountable."
What happens when people don't evacuate is that deputies then must resort to "heroic actions" to save them, Luna said, which puts more people in unnecessary danger.
"Our deputies are constantly putting their lives on the line," Luna said. "And every example I'm given is a result of somebody who chose not to evacuate.
Luna said that he has added "substantially" more deputies, many of whom are helping clear out unauthorized vehicles.
On Wednesdays, bulldozers were seen moving cars from highways to make room for emergency vehicles to get through.
In all, 180,00 people in Los Angeles County are under evacuation orders as of Thursday, Luna said, and another 200,000 people are under evacuation warnings.