January 2nd, 2012
06:44 AM ET

Man detained in Southern California arson investigation

[Updated 6:44 a.m. ET] A man has been detained for questioning in a suspected arson spree in the Los Angeles area, police said Monday. It's unclear if it's the same man seen in a surveillance video released by authorities.

[Posted 4:16 a.m. ET] Los Angeles authorities released surveillance video showing a man they want to speak to in connection to a spate of wildfires in and around the city.

Michael Moriarty, a commander in the Los Angeles police department's detectives bureau, called the man on the video a "person of interest" in the investigation.

"We have video of this individual in two instances" directly tied to recent fires, he said Sunday night.

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Filed under: Crime • U.S.
soundoff (14 Responses)
  1. rooney

    I wonder if it's more than one person. I think the authorities said there were something like 39 fires. That's a lot for one guy to run around starting in just a few hours time.

    January 2, 2012 at 7:02 am | Report abuse |
    • Shelly

      You are probably right....but it is a start.

      January 2, 2012 at 7:08 am | Report abuse |
  2. aztec3

    I was more concerned if this person (or persons) were looking to make some sort of "design/pattern" when viewed from overhead...like that one pipe bomber that was working on making a "smilely face" (he got the eyes and part of the smile if memory serves me right).

    January 2, 2012 at 7:25 am | Report abuse |
    • John

      I believe you're thinking of the movie Fight Club.

      January 2, 2012 at 10:57 am | Report abuse |
  3. Tez

    I hope its the right person they caught so the people can go back to living normal lives.

    January 2, 2012 at 7:30 am | Report abuse |
  4. phantasm

    he is most likely with OWS

    January 2, 2012 at 7:34 am | Report abuse |
  5. Joey Isotta-Fraschini ©™

    I thought of the OWS movement too, phantasm.
    Fire occupies very efficiently.

    January 2, 2012 at 8:07 am | Report abuse |
  6. Mmmmm

    you guys are puttin too much into this he's just a moth who likes to stare at the light...time for smores!

    January 2, 2012 at 9:16 am | Report abuse |
  7. chrissy

    Chances are pretty good they dont have the right guy since they stated its unclear if hes the guy in the video. Just trying to calm the public it sounds like.

    January 2, 2012 at 10:00 am | Report abuse |
  8. gung hoe

    If they find this guy guilty,He likes fire so much fry him

    January 2, 2012 at 12:37 pm | Report abuse |
  9. Montgomery County, Maryland Investigating Team

    The arsons and shootings are the impulse of a loner that wants to ruin everybody's holidays and to help al-qaeda attack America and to help ex-cons violate their paroles and probations and leave the country and live in areas where al-qaeda operatives hang out and to further help them plan attacks on American law enforcement and blow up news stations so that nobody can broadcast the news over the air. Some say the world will end by December 21 of this year due to crime and terrorism and the socalled "666 Mark Of The Beast", "7 Year Tribulation Period" and "The Antichrist" coming but this needs to be confirmed as of yet. We are currently working with FBI and local police departments in dealing with the rising terrorist related criminal acts at this time. Stay tuned to your local news for further details!

    January 2, 2012 at 2:14 pm | Report abuse |
  10. Montgomery County, Maryland Investigating Team

    In Montgomery County, Maryland in the areas of Silver Spring and Wheaton recently, a rash of lootings and riotings have occured and at the 7-Eleven store, two other shopping centers and some schools have been looted and trashed by some teenage and young adult hoodlums due to the bad economy and rising crime in the general areas. With underfunding for the police departments, criminals may get an upper hand on how to "go on crimesprees and elude police" and many citizens have soon expressed great concern over this epidemic trend. Several gangs are working for al-qaeda such as the latin kings, ms-13, sur-13 and the 38-mob and as we learned from the local police departments and FBI recently and according to intelligence reports, al-qaeda operatives hire several members of the latin kings, ms-13, sur-13 and the 38-mob gangs to carry out specific duties among the rank and file to support al-qaeda in which the hoods will rob and murder and funnel the proceeds(money stolen) through Western Union overseas to al-qaeda to deposit in a Swiss bank account for the purpose of hiring a terrorist or terrorists to attack America with plans to obtain the money in exchange of "killing all Americans and helping inmates escape from prisons that are part of the plan" as intelligence gatherings are in full force by our teams at this time. Stay tuned to your local news for new developments in this case!

    January 2, 2012 at 2:26 pm | Report abuse |
  11. banasy©

    Blame OWS for *everything*.
    That's the ticket.

    *Sigh*

    Don't be silly.
    There were arsonists before OWS, ya know.
    Anyone remember the fire inspector who was starting the fires and then investigating them?
    He killed a couple of people; one being a toddler...he's in prison now.
    What was *he*?
    An OWSer ahead of his time, or what I believe this person(s) to be: a bat sh!t crazy pyromaniac?

    Yeesh.

    January 2, 2012 at 3:59 pm | Report abuse |
  12. banasy©

    @Ruffie:
    Well, if there's more than one person responsible, I'd say both of them...

    January 2, 2012 at 5:08 pm | Report abuse |