As more National Guard personnel have been sent to the area, the number of arrests near wildfire zones in Los Angeles has continued to increase.
34 persons have been taken into custody by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department in the Eaton and Palisades fire-affected regions.Sheriff Robert Luna reported on Monday that four people had been taken into custody near the Palisades Fire and thirty near the Eaton Fire.
Luna asked for more National Guard personnel as the number of arrests rose over the weekend. Online frauds and theft and looting continue to be the sheriff’s department’s top concerns.
“Major General Beevers deserves special recognition as well. I was with him, and thankfully, he was able to raise the number of National Guard support he is providing us to 600. “He told me yesterday that we can ask for more if we need it,” Luna stated during a press conference.
Since the flames began, Nathan Hochman, the district attorney for Los Angeles County, has addressed a number of press conferences. According to him, his administration is prepared to bring charges against anyone found to have exploited locals in areas impacted by fire.
Luna explained that not all of the arrests are related to curfew violations, burglaries, or looting. Arrests for drug and handgun possession have been made by the sheriff’s office. He advised people not to fly drones or travel to the evacuated regions if they had no business there.
According to Luna, three persons have been taken into custody in connection with two different drone incidents. A private drone and a firefighting plane battling flames collided last week, and the FBI is presently looking into the incident.
A representative for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office told CBS News that the drone had breached temporary flight limitations established by the Federal Aviation Administration. The Palisades and Eaton fires will continue to have flying restrictions until January 25.
Governor Gavin Newsom of California declared on Sunday afternoon that he would deploy an extra 1,000 troops of the California National Guard to assist in the response to the flames in Los Angeles.
The city of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Malibu, and all unincorporated regions of Los Angeles County that are in evacuation orders or warning zones are still under a curfew that was issued last week. In order to deter crime and looting while homes are still evacuated, the curfew is in effect from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Anyone caught breaking the curfew could be charged with a misdemeanor, which has a $1,000 maximum fine.