Los Angeles County law enforcement authorities have arrested at least 20 individuals for looting properties as thousands of people have been forced to evacuate from their homes and businesses amid the massive wildfires in Southern California.
During a press conference on Thursday, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, “Over last night and this morning, we are up to 20 – 20 – individuals who chose to go into our areas and deprive these poor people who have been through so much of their property.”
The sheriff described the looting incidents as “absolutely unacceptable,” adding, “As you know, when we have an evacuation order by law, if you remain in that area, you are guilty of a misdemeanor. If you commit certain crimes, it could jump up to a felony. I’m going to be asking our employees to start enforcing that.”
READ MORE: Wildfires leave 10 dead, 10,000+ structures destroyed
Luna explained that if unauthorized individuals are discovered in areas that are under evacuation orders, they will be “subject to arrest.”
“I hope that is as clear as I can make it,” Luna said. “Our first choice isn’t to do enforcement. It’s not to make an arrest. It’s to help people. But if people choose to commit crimes, they’re going to be held accountable.”
Luna explained that the situation caused by the major wildfires in Los Angeles County is a “fluid and evolving crisis” and warned that many of the official numbers reported by law enforcement and emergency response officials could change with additional information. Addressing the current number of individuals arrested for looting, Luna said, “Unfortunately, I do expect that to go up. We’re not going to tolerate that kind of activity.”
According to Fox 11, Luna confirmed that 180,000 people had been placed under evacuation orders in Los Angeles County as of Thursday, while an additional 200,000 people had received evacuation warnings.
In a Thursday statement on X, formerly Twitter, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) warned “Looting will not be tolerated. These communities have suffered enough. The National Guard deployment will bring our total on-the-ground personnel to 8,000. We will continue to use every resource available to keep our communities safe.”
A video shared on social media by journalist Nick Sortor shows the California National Guard arriving in Los Angeles.