Police Nab Looter Disguised As Fireman During LA Wildfires

Police on Sunday said a looter disguised himself as a fireman while attempting to raid an evacuated Malibu home.

The alleged thief, who is among 28 others arrested on looting-related charges since wildfires began ravaging Southern California, was arrested after police caught him attempting to burglarize a home in the Palisades evacuation zone, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said during a press conference.

“When I was out there in the Malibu area, I saw a gentleman that looked like a firefighter,” the sheriff said. “And I asked him if he was OK because he was sitting down. I didn’t realize we had him in handcuffs. We are turning him over to LAPD because he was dressed like a fireman, and he was not. He had just got caught burglarizing a home. So those are issues that our front line deputies and police officers are dealing with.”

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief Jim McDonald said authorities arrested the suspect and two others after they were caught violating curfew.

“There were three individuals in a vehicle. They were stopped. They were where they weren’t supposed to be,” McDonald said in the same press conference. “One had on a fire jacket and a fire hat. And he was additionally arrested for impersonating a firefighter. We have people who will go to all ends to be able to do what it is they want to do to exploit the victims of this tragedy.”

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