2 more firebugs charged as LA's new tough-on-crime DA heats up fight against looters and arsonists
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Two men have been charged with felony arson in Los Angeles in unrelated cases as authorities combat firebugs, looters and multiple raging blazes in Southern California.

The incidents happened in different parts of Los Angeles County over the weekend, according to the district attorney’s office.

Jaime Mota, 37, was held on $350,000 bail for allegedly lighting a stack of wooden pallets on fire behind a shipping yard in the City of Industry Saturday afternoon. The flames spread to a tractor-trailer and some surrounding bushes, according to authorities. He could get seven years in prison if convicted.

“The people of Los Angeles County are enduring unprecedented hardship as wildfires ravage our communities, displacing families, destroying homes, and tragically claiming lives,” Hochman said.

“While first responders and residents work tirelessly to save lives and property, we will not tolerate individuals who exploit this tragedy by committing heinous acts of arson or looting. My Office continues to put relentless pressure on those who threaten the safety and security of our county.”

Wildfires in Los Angeles

A helicopter makes a drop as smoke billows from the Palisades Fire in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, U.S. January 11, 2025.  (REUTERS/Daniel Dreifuss     )

On Tuesday, Hochman and District Attorney Todd Spitzer, of the neighboring Orange County, teamed up to ask Gov. Gavin Newsom to make looting a felony.

Arson attacks have sparked the interest of law enforcement and average citizens alike.

LA District Attorney candidates forum at Pacific Palms Resort.

Nathan Hochman at the Los Angeles District Attorney candidates forum at Pacific Palms Resort before winning election to office in November. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Last week, “Chicago Fire” actor Brian J. White took the battle to the real world when he and a group of neighbors conducted a citizen’s arrest on an illegal immigrant marching through their neighborhood with a blowtorch.

And on Monday, Hochman’s office announced charges against a homeless man in Azusa after neighbors saw him light a brush fire in a park near their homes. They confronted him verbally until a nearby Azusa police officer arrived and placed him in handcuffs at the scene.

Azusa police have arrested a 39-year-old homeless arson suspect Jose Carranza-Escobar just steps from a small brush fire that they say he admitted to lighting

Azusa police have arrested 39-year-old homeless arson suspect Jose Carranza-Escobar just steps from a small brush fire that they say he admitted to lighting as Los Angeles battles multiple large wildfires. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)

“Azusa PD urges everyone to remain alert as fires continue to affect the county,” Azusa Capt. Rob Landeros said in a statement over the weekend. “We must be cautious of individuals who may enter our community with the intent to start fires.”

Powerful Winds Fuel Multiple Fires Across Los Angeles Area

Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.  (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

Firefighters quickly put that fire out, according to authorities. 

In another unrelated arson, Jim McDonnell told the local ABC affiliate that one of the suspected arsonists told police he “liked the smell of burning leaves.”

Multiple wildfires in Los Angeles have killed at least 24 people over the past week, and the number is expected to rise.

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