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LOS ANGELES (KTLA) Two alleged looters, one of whom was dressed as a firefighter, were detained by Los Angeles County authorities on Sunday along the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades.
It’s unclear exactly what time the suspects were stopped, but a local photographer spotted the pair on a scooter and a moped. One of the suspects was dressed in fire boots, jeans, and a yellow fire jacket emblazoned with Cal Fire’s old acronym CDF, which stood for California Department of Forestry and Fire.
Eric Fox told Nexstar’s KTLA he saw the pair riding up the Pacific Coast Highway.
“As I pulled up to the checkpoint to report them, the deputies had already detained them,” Fox explained.
Two crime prevention unit deputies from the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s Santa Clarita Station, who were assisting with the Palisades Fire, made the stops, along with California Highway Patrol and National Guardsmen, who were all manning the checkpoint.
Photos of the two individuals show them in handcuffs sitting on the sidewalk just outside the Getty Villa as deputies search them.
Sheriff’s officials posted an image of the handcuffed fake firefighter on social media.
No information was provided on the alleged looters’ identities or if they were caught with any stolen property.
Officials later said the person dressed as a firefighter was released. It was unclear what happened to the suspect pictured wearing a helmet and boots.
Approximately 50 miles away in Irwindale, firefighters battling a small brush fire near Rivergrade Road and the 605 Freeway, spotted an alleged arsonist starting fires. The suspect, a 29-year-old Baldwin Park resident, was taken into custody by police.
In Santa Monica, officials said that in the last five days, 39 people have been arrested in evacuation zones, 10 of whom were found in possession of burglary tools and are considered burglary suspects.
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman is set to announce charges on Tuesday against suspects in several recent arrests for arson and looting.
