LA sheriff condemns looters exploiting California wildfires, at least 2 arrested

The sheriff of Los Angeles County has issued a stern warning to looters who are exploiting the unprecedented California wildfires to commit crimes, vowing to make arrests and pursue prosecutions. Authorities have reported at least two arrests have been made thus far. Sheriff Robert Luna condemned the looters taking advantage of abandoned homes during a Wednesday press briefing.

"It's always sad when I have to say this, but part of our responsibility is to make sure nobody loots or steals from our community members who are already being impacted," Luna said at a news conference. "I'm sad to report, we've made two arrests this morning for looting already. So if you are thinking about coming into any of these areas to steal from our residents, I'm going to tell you something. You're going to be caught, you're going to be arrested, and you're going to be prosecuted."

Sheriff Luna demanded people "stay out of [impacted] areas," explaining "it's only for emergency workers and people who live here."

Additionally, the sheriff confirmed that there have been at least two fatalities from the wildfires thus far. On Tuesday, several fires driven by high winds raged across Los Angeles County, desecrating more than one thousand residential homes, along with buildings, schools, restaurants, and other property. Tens of thousands of residents have been evacuated from Pasadena and Altadena, California, according to reports. The Palisades and Eaton wildfires are being reported as the most destructive fires in state history.

"I did find out that we did have two fatalities in this area," Luna said. "I don't have any specifics. There is a lot of damage out there. We're still in the process of doing these assessments, trying to still save lives, so this information is going to change."

"Even as I was driving up here, even as I'm walking to this podium, I'm getting messages about several of our employees who have lost their homes in the last several hours, "Luna added. "I don't know how many because we are still gathering that information, but like all - we all live here in Los Angeles County - so we are impacted. We're going to make sure that within our department, we're wrapping our arms around our employees, just like we do with community members."

Despite the staffing challenges across emergency services agencies, Sheriff Luna said, "We've all got to step up to the plate."