Police in Los Angeles distributed DVDs on
Sunday featuring surveillance video of a man wanted for questioning in
connection with a rash of suspicious car fires in the city.
The person of interest is a white male
between 20 and 30 years old with a receding hairline and a
shoulder-length ponytail, according to Officer Sara Faden. The man was
seen on video Saturday after emerging on foot from inside an underground
parking structure on Hollywood Boulevard that was the scene of a car fire.
Detectives estimated the man, who was wearing a bulky jacket, is between 5'6" and 6'1" tall.
Faden said investigators are asking for the public's help in identifying the man on the video.
Detectives spent early Sunday analyzing
security video camera footage and following up on other leads after a
half dozen more vehicles were set on fire on New Year's Eve.
The outbreak of arson fires has left a trail
of smoldering debris in Hollywood, West Hollywood, North Hollywood and
the Fairfax district of Los Angeles since Thursday.
Authorities said they were investigating a
total of 43 suspicious fires. Most of those fires were set in parked
cars. In several cases, flames have jumped to carports and apartment
units.
"They are working on hundreds of clues,
interviewing dozens of witnesses, picking up countless pieces of
evidence," police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said of the detectives.
The LAPD is asking residents to leave porch and carport lights on at night and make sure cars are locked.
Authorities haven't said how the car fires
were sparked or what was collected at the crime scenes. They were unsure
if the rash of fires were the work of one arsonist or multiple people
or copycats.
There have been no injuries.
Extra patrols were out in force on New
Year's Eve. One of Saturday's attacks occurred at the Hollywood and
Highland entertainment complex, a popular tourist destination and
hotspot for holiday revelers. Firefighters responded to a report of a
small car fire in a parking structure that was out by the time they
arrived.
Firefighters routinely are called to put out
burning cars, but this recent spate has been unusual because of the
frequency and location of the fires. Crews have been responding to other
emergencies despite the focus on solving the fire arsons, fire
spokesman Erik Scott said.
Police urged residents to check their cars
for any signs of tampering and take simple precautions such as locking
their cars, keeping the garage lights on at night and reporting
suspicious activity.
"We are not going to rest," Los Angeles Fire
Department assistant chief Pat Butler said Sunday at a joint
police-fire news conference. "We are going to work tirelessly." Source: ap
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