Police believe a fifth brush fire that broke out in the fiery Los Angeles hellscape on Thursday afternoon may have been set intentionally -- and they've arrested a suspect who was captured by residents. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman indicated the suspect in the nearly-1,000-acre Kenneth fire could face murder charges, if a loss of life is linked to that blaze. "Justice will be swift. It will be firm, and the maximum punishment will be sought," he told NewsNation's Ashleigh Banfield.
Potential swift justice was off to a strong start thanks to the initiative of local residents. Witnesses told LA's KFI News radio that the suspect was seen riding a motorbike and holding an ignited torch, with three residents chasing him down and gang-tackling him in a front yard. We pause to note that portable torches have been observed in other California criminal endeavors:
"What we know right now is that the [fire] occurred, started here, and about 20 minutes, 30 minutes later, a suspect was detained over in Woodland Hills area by citizens," LAPD Senior Lead Officer Sean Dinsel told NewsNation's Brian Entin on the scene. Asked if the Kenneth fire was set intentionally, Dinsel said, "At this time, that's what we believe." He said the fire's suspected starting point -- at the Victory Trailhead that gives access to the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve -- was being treated as a "crime scene."
Little is known about the suspect, and his name has yet to be released. LAPD issued a statement confirming the arrest, but noting "We CANNOT confirm any connection to any fire by this suspect at this time." Meanwhile, KFI News and others have posted photos and videos said to show him being arrested:
The Kenneth fire began shortly after 2:30 pm in the the Woodland Hills area, near a neighborhood called Calabasas. Quickly spreading to more than 900 acres, it prompted mandatory evacuation orders in the immediate vicinity, along with evacuation warnings in adjacent Ventura county. The orders were subsequently downgraded to warnings, NBC News reports, after the fire's progress.
While that was a rare, encouraging development for firefighters engaged in a daunting multi-front war, it was well short of a victory: As of 8pm local time, the Kenneth fire was listed as 35% contained. Late Thursday afternoon, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said 900 additional firefighters were being deployed against the blaze.
Demonstrating an awareness that citizens are beyond fed up with California's failure to provide safety and security, DA Hochman dished out tough-sounding rhetoric about the arrest of the arson suspect. "Our goal is to send this warning," he told Banfield." Whether it's looting, these internet scams, robbery, or future arsons. … The day and age of a DA's office standing on the sidelines is over. We want to bring justice, and we will."
Let's not forget what we noted on Thursday.
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