Nine charged with looting during Los Angeles fires

Nine people have been charged in connection with looting in evacuation zones of huge Los Angeles fires, the district attorney general said.
The charges include one burglary of $200,000 and one in which an Emmy statuette was stolen, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman told reporters. One of those charged faces the possibility of life in prison if convicted, Hochman said, adding that the lawsuit should serve as a warning to potential offenders. "It's not a question of if, but when you will be caught if you participate in these crimes. Don't commit any of these crimes where some are trying to profit from the tragedy of the people who have been affected by the fires," Hochman warned.
About 92,000 people remain displaced seven days after the massive fires broke out around Los Angeles, killing at least 24 people. Evacuation zones, where 12,000 buildings lie in ruins, were declared closed as police worked to reassure residents that their property would be safe from thieves.
But arrests continued to mount and on Monday the first charges were announced. Two suspects were caught on a doorbell camera breaking into a home in the affluent Mandeville Canyon neighborhood that was threatened by the Palisades fire over the weekend. Hochman said one of them, Martrell Peeples, has previous serious convictions and could be jailed for life under the so-called "three strikes" rule. His alleged accomplice, Demary Bell, could be sentenced to more than 22 years in prison. A third man was arrested for hit-and-run while police were pursuing robbery suspects. Six other suspects have been charged with a number of residential burglaries in Altadena, including stealing an Emmy Award from a home. No details were released on who owned the statuette. | BGNES, AFP