Thread: L.A. arson probe: Police examine immigration link to case

L.A. arson probe: Police examine immigration link to case

January 2, 2012 | 9:23 am

The "person of interest" detained for questioning in a string of arson fires is a native of Germany who may have been in dispute with federal immigration officials, sources said.

The man appears to have been battling the U.S. government over the immigration status of a relative, but the officials said they don't know if this played any role in the case. The Los Angeles Police Department is in communication with federal immigration officials concerning the dispute, the law enforcement sources said.

LAPD detectives found materials that could have been used to set fires inside the man's minivan, the sources said.

MAP: Arson fires

Little is known about the man. Sources said the minivan had Canadian license plates but that detectives say the man is from Germany.

The man was detained near a drugstore at the corner of Fairfax Avenue and Sunset Boulevard early Monday morning, according to a witness to the incident.

Several sources said the man is believed to be the same person seen in a surveillance video released by police Sunday. However, in a statement, a Los Angeles fire official stressed that "it is too early to speculate if this person is responsible for the spree of arson fires."

PHOTOS: Arson fires

A police source also stressed that the investigation is still in its early stages and that detectives are still trying to determine whether the man can be considered a suspect in the arsons. All the sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.

The detention followed a morning of arson fires popping up across the Hollywood area Monday. Eleven fires were reported in two hours, beginning at 1:30 a.m., most burning cars and carports in apartment complexes, police and fire officials said.

A total of 55 "fires of concern" have broken out in the Los Angeles area since Friday, possibly the work of one arsonist, a fire official said early Monday.

FULL COVERAGE: Arson fires
Of those fires, 45 occurred in the Los Angeles area, another nine were in West Hollywood, and one was in Burbank, Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, wrote in a post on LAFD Alert, the department's blog.

At a news conference Sunday morning, officials said many of those fires were also started in cars and in some cases spread to carports, garages and apartments.

They declined to say what evidence tied the cases together or to give more information about how the fires were set. Law enforcement sources told The Times that detectives were concerned that releasing more information could prompt the arsonist or arsonists to change tactics and could encourage copycats.

RELATED:
FULL COVERAGE: Arson fires
Los Angeles arson fires char holiday spirit
Ruin, wreckage at Jim Morrison's former home
-- Andrew Blankstein, Richard Winton and Ari Bloomekatz

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...tion-link.html

If this suspect had been Hispanic the L.A. Times would have never said that there was an immigration link.

LA arsons: 'Right guy' arrested, police chief says

A dozen more deliberate fires reported early Monday

LOS ANGELES — A "person of interest" detained in connection with 53 arson fires has been arrested and will be charged, officials said Monday.

"I feel very good that we've got the right guy,'' NBCLosAngeles.com quoted L.A. Police Chief Charlie Beck as saying. "(The suspect) had the right stuff in his van, and we are very confident we found our man.''

The man was driving when he was stopped by a sheriff's deputy who felt his van resembled one seen in security video.

He has yet to be charged but officials said that could happen later Monday. His name was not released.

The man is a native of Germany who might have had a dispute with federal immigration officials over the status of a relative, the Los Angeles Times reported. Eleven of the blazes happened overnight at carports and garages, said L.A. Fire Department spokesman Capt. Jaime Moore.

"The last one was in West Hollywood," he told told the LA Times, which reported that the first of the latest round of fires broke out shortly after 1:30 a.m. PT at apartment carports in the Laurel Canyon and Hollywood areas.

An unidentified person of interest was detained hours after Los Angeles police released video of a man who they said witnesses and security video footage placed at several locations where the fires started.

He was seen on video Saturday after emerging on foot from inside an underground parking structure on Hollywood Boulevard where a car fire was reported.

It was also not clear if the person detained is the man seen in the video.

Authorities are investigating a total of 55 "fires of concern," including 45 in the Los Angeles area, nine in West Hollywood and one in Burbank, the fire department said on its website.

Most of the fires started in cars and some spread to carports and homes.

'Keep your lights on'
Police spokesman Cleon Joseph urged residents to be on the lookout for anyone acting suspiciously.

"Keep your lights on, be diligent, watch your surroundings. If you see anything, call 911," Joseph said.

Los Angeles Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said dozens of detectives had worked through the night to gather evidence and sift through clues.

"We've reassigned dozens of detectives," Smith said. "Those detectives are now working together around the clock... We've got hundreds of clues, dozens of witnesses, and countless pieces of evidence," he added.

So far, no one has been seriously hurt, but a firefighter was treated and released for injuries suffered at the site of one blaze over the weekend and another person suffered minor injuries on New Year's Eve.

One of the fires damaged a house in the Hollywood Hills, where The Doors lead singer Jim Morrison was inspired to write the 1968 song "Love Street" about his girlfriend Pam Courson and what was then a hippie hangout.

Unusual spate of fires
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 garage and carport lights on at night and reporting suspicious activity.

Msnbc.com staff, Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45846126...me_and_courts/

L.A. arson suspect is 24-year-old Hollywood man

January 2, 2012 | 5:49pm

Los Angeles police on Monday afternoon booked a 24-year-old man on suspicion of arson after an L.A. County sheriff's deputy detained him in connection with a string of more than 50 deliberately set fires

Booking records identified the man as Harry Burkhart, a Hollywood area resident. He is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail at the Inmate Reception Center in downtown L.A.

No new arsons have been reported since the suspect was taken into custody, but police stressed that the investigation was ongoing.

The fires have caused $2 million in damage, authorities said.

MAP: Arson fires

At a news conference Monday, officials said the arson task force is sifting through about 100 clues in the case.

Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said : "I feel very good that we've got the right guy. [The suspect] had the right stuff in his van, and we are confident in the arrest.''

According to law enforcement sources, Burkhart has been involved in a dispute with federal immigration officials.

PHOTOS: Arson fires

Burkhart appears to have been battling the U.S. government over the immigration status of his mother.

The Los Angeles Police Department is in communication with federal immigration officials concerning the dispute, the law enforcement sources said.

LAPD detectives found materials inside Burkhart's minivan that could have been used to set fires, the sources said. All of the sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing.

FULL COVERAGE: Arson fires

The man was detained near a drugstore at the corner of Fairfax Avenue and Sunset Boulevard early Monday morning, according to a witness to the incident.

Several sources said Burkhart is believed to be the same person seen in a surveillance video released by police Sunday, when authorities pointed to the individual as a "person of interest" in the case.

The suspect was taken into custody following a morning of arson fires across the Hollywood area Monday. Eleven fires were reported in two hours, beginning at 1:30 a.m.; most were burning cars and carports in apartment complexes, police and fire officials said.

A total of 53 "fires of concern" have broken out in the Los Angeles area since Friday, possibly the work of one arsonist.

Of those fires, 45 occurred in the Los Angeles area, another nine were in West Hollywood, and one was in Burbank, Erik Scott, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department, wrote in a post on LAFD Alert, the department's blog.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...-in-fires.html

usnews.msnbc.msn.com
By msnbc.com staff and news services
2 hours ago

A suspect is under arrest in Los Angeles in connection with more than 50 fires that cost millions of dollars in property damage. NBC's Mike Taibbi reports.

LOS ANGELES - A man who was arrested in connection with a string of arson fires across the Los Angeles area reportedly told police officers, "I hate America," when they put him in handcuffs on Monday.

According to a witness the suspect, 24-year-old Harry Burkhart from Germany, uttered the words as he was pulled over and arrested early Monday, L.A. Weekly reported.

Police made the arrest after a tip from federal officials who thought they recognized the grainy figure caught on a surveillance video near where a car fire was reported.

Burkhart was booked for investigation of arson of an inhabited dwelling. Since the arrest, firefighters have not responded to any other suspicious fires.

"Our long four-day nightmare is over," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reported that police searched a home on West Sunset Boulevard Monday evening. According to witnesses, the search took place in a second-floor apartment above the Le Figaro Hairstyling hair salon, the Times said.

"I cut his hair just a week and a half ago," said Shlomo Elady, a stylist at the salon who told the Times Burkhart had been customer for more than a year. "I'm in shock. He's my client. I never saw any sign of trouble."


Los Angeles County Reserve Deputy Sheriff Shervin Lalezary (right), who spotted the now detained man driving a van, smiles as he is introduced by Sheriff Lee Baca (left) during a news conference in Los Angeles Monday.

Police declined to reveal any motive for more than 50 fires that have occurred since Friday in Hollywood, neighboring West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley, causing about $3 million in damage.

However, the 24-year-old, who told officers he's from Frankfurt, may have been upset about his mother's legal woes.

When asked at a news conference about reports that an immigration problem with Burhkart's mother may have been a factor, authorities declined to comment.

Galina Illarionova, who lives in the same apartment complex as the suspect, told reporters through a Russian translator that an agitated Burkhart visited her Sunday and said that his mother was having some kind of legal problems.

He told her his mother was in trouble with the authorities and wanted Illarionova to attend a legal hearing with him, but he later said he didn't need her help.

'Most dangerous arsonist'

"We are very confident in this arrest, but we have a long way to go," said Police Chief Charlie Beck, who mentioned receiving information from federal authorities who recognized Burkhart from the video. They believed he had been involved in removal hearings in immigration court, but they didn't specify how he was involved.

Burkhart, who is being held without bail, was described by Sheriff Lee Baca as the "most dangerous arsonist in Los Angeles County that I can recall."

Authorities didn't know how long he's been in the United States and said he isn't cooperating with them.

The onslaught of intentionally set fires left residents on edge over the holiday weekend in some of the most densely populated areas of the city.

Hundreds of investigators, police officers and firefighters raced to deal with the blazes. Police conducted extra patrols all weekend, and the noise of helicopters and sirens persisted virtually nonstop in Hollywood.

The blazes forced many apartment dwellers from their homes. But there were no serious injuries — one firefighter was hurt in a fall from a ladder, and another person suffered smoke inhalation.

Most of the fires began in cars, and authorities have not said how they were started.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/20...said-on-arrest

Last updated at 11:19 AM on 3rd January 2012

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1iPulxuLl

Authorities last night arrested a German man in connection with dozens of suspected arson attacks that destroyed parked cars, scorched buildings and rattled much of the nation's second-largest city over the New Year's weekend.

Harry Burkhart, 24, was booked for investigation of arson of an inhabited dwelling and was being held without bail, authorities said.

Burkhart was arrested earlier in the day because he resembled a 'person of interest' captured on surveillance video, reportedly telling authorities 'I hate America' as he was arrested.
He was stopped by a reserve sheriff's deputy in a van being sought by arson investigators.
Fifty three blazes have flared since Friday in Hollywood, neighbouring West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley, causing about $3million in damage.
According to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck, Burkhart is believed to a foreign national from Germany.
It is thought his mother is said to have faced a deportation hearing in Los Angeles County within the last two weeks.

Firefighters have not responded to any other suspicious fires since Burkhart was detained, Moore said.

Investigators were still busy Monday mapping out the sequence of the blazes, examining more than 100 clues and interviewing witnesses.
The fires left behind a trail of smouldering debris. Police urged residents to check their cars for any signs of tampering and to take simple precautions such as locking vehicles, keeping garage and carport lights on at night and reporting suspicious activity.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz1iPut3N3V

January 3, 2012 1:08 PM

Immigration case led to L.A. arson arrest

(CBS)

(AP) LOS ANGELES - A German man was identified as a suspect in the Los Angeles arson spree because his mother was the subject of an arrest request by Germany, a U.S. State Department official said Tuesday .


Speaking on condition of anonymity because the investigations are ongoing, the official told The Associated Press that authorities learned about Harry Burkhart while working on the mother's case and recognized him in security video of the arson suspect.


"When they saw the security footage, they recognized him and they contacted the arson task force," the official said.


The official said the footage was seen on Sunday and Los Angeles authorities were alerted immediately. Burkhart was picked up on Monday, the official said.


The official didn't know the status of Burkhart's mother, Dorothee, or what type of visa the pair had entered the U.S. on. As German citizens, they would be eligible to come to the U.S. without a visa for 90 days under the Visa Waiver Program.


A federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the case, said Burkhart was present when his mother was arrested Dec. 28 by deputy U.S. marshals and Los Angeles police on the provisional arrest warrant.


It's no known why Germany sought the mother.


Provisional arrest warrants are normally issued when there are outstanding criminal charges pending overseas against someone. Ordinarily, U.S. authorities then obtain a U.S. arrest warrant through the State Department and the Justice Department.


Germany's Foreign Ministry said the German consulate general in Los Angeles was in contact with American authorities regarding the case, but declined to comment further on the matter.


The dozens of arson fires appeared to have halted with Burkhart's arrest. The 52 blazes caused more than $3 million in damage and put Los Angeles residents on edge during the long holiday weekend.


Police have said nothing about a possible motive in the fires set across Hollywood, neighboring West Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley.


"We are very confident in this arrest, but we have a long way to go," said Police Chief Charlie Beck.


Harry Burkhart was being held without bail. Authorities didn't know how long he's been in the United States and said he isn't cooperating with them.


Sheriff Lee Baca called him the "most dangerous arsonist in Los Angeles County that I can recall."


The intentionally set fires kept residents anxious over the holiday weekend in some of the most densely populated areas of the city. Hundreds of investigators, police officers and firefighters raced to deal with the blazes.


The fires forced many apartment dwellers from their homes. But there were no serious injuries — one firefighter was hurt in a fall from a ladder, and another person suffered smoke inhalation.


Authorities had been looking for a man with shoulder-length ponytail seen on a surveillance video near where a car fire was reported.


Five hours later, Burkhart was pulled over by a reserve sheriff's deputy and later booked for investigation of arson of an inhabited dwelling.


While the investigation is ongoing — authorities haven't ruled out the possibility that others may be involved — Burkhart's arrest was a relief to anxious residents.


"Our long four-day nightmare is over," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.


Galina Illarionova, who lives in the same apartment complex as the suspect, told reporters through a Russian translator that an agitated Burkhart visited her Sunday and said his mother was having some kind of legal problems. He told her his mother was in trouble with authorities and wanted Illarionova to attend a legal hearing with him, but he later said he didn't need her help.


Most of the fires began in cars, and authorities have not said how they were started.


One of Saturday's fires occurred at the Hollywood and Highland entertainment complex, a popular tourist destination bordered by the Walk of Fame in a neighborhood that includes Grauman's Chinese Theatre.


Damaged buildings included a former home of Doors singer Jim Morrison in Laurel Canyon.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-...-arson-arrest/

Mother of arson suspect accused in breast augmentation fraud case

January 3, 2012 | 4:04pm

Extradition proceedings for Dorothee Burkhart, the mother of the man suspected of setting a series of fires around Los Angeles, were pushed back to later this week to allow her time to retain her own attorney.

She was arrested Thursday on a criminal warrant issued by German authorities. A day later, the series of more than 50 fires started. Her son, Harry Burkhart, was arrested Monday and booked on arson charges.

The seven-page complaint filed by Assistant U.S. Atty. Cathy Ostiller said that the government was “informed through diplomatic channels” that Dorothee Burkhart is charged in state court in Frankfurt with “19 counts of fraud committed on a commercial basis and as a member of a gang.”

MAP: Southland arsons

The complaint details about $45,000 worth of alleged embezzlement of renters and landlords with whom she did business between 2000 and 2006. The largest sum listed in the complaint was about $10,000.

Burkhart allegedly owed a Frankfurt plastic surgeon who performed a breast augmentation operation on her in 2004 after she provided falsified records of an advance payment.

It was unclear from the complaint why Burkhart became such a high-priority target in an international dragnet. The warrant for her arrest was issued Sept. 24, 2007, by Judge Hans-Ulrich Biernath in a Frankfurt court. The offenses for which she was sought are covered by the extradition treaty between Germany and the United States, Ostiller said.

Citing Interpol as well as German diplomatic authority, the complaint described Burkhart as a “German national.” But she spoke German as haltingly as she spoke English. She had first been provided with a Russian-language interpreter for the initial deportation hearing last week, which Magistrate Judge Margaret Nagle referred to as having been of little assistance.

FULL COVERAGE: Southland arsons

Burkhart on Tuesday declined to be represented by the federal public defender’s office, telling the judge: “I don’t want an attorney from this government.” She glared across the room at Ostiller as she made the statement. She had also refused a public defender at a hearing last Thursday.

Nagle ordered the woman back to court Friday afternoon for a hearing on whether she qualified for the “requisite special circumstances” for bail while awaiting extradition. Nagle also told Burkhart that she would be allowed to speak with representatives from the German consulate.

Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said that from the time of Burkhart’s arrest, the German government had 60 days to file a formal request for extradition.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lano...raud-case.html

RELATED

ICE issues immigration detainers for L.A. arson suspect Burkhart and his mother

http://www.alipac.us/threads/247165-...59#post1246759

"Rage against Americans" cited in L.A. arson case

By Dan Whitcomb and Mary Slosson
LOS ANGELES | Thu Jan 5, 2012 8:35am EST

(Reuters) - A German citizen was charged on Wednesday with setting dozens of fires across Los Angeles over the New Year's weekend in a spree an arson investigator said was motivated by a "rage against Americans."

Harry Burkhart, 24, who is also wanted in Germany on suspicion of burning down his home, was charged with 37 counts of arson stemming from the three-day wave of fires that caused an estimated $3 million in damage and left residents of Los Angeles and surrounding communities shaken.

Burkhart, who was guarded closely by three sheriffs deputies and at times appeared disoriented during a brief hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court, was ordered held on $2.85 million bail.

Prosecutors asked the judge to order Burkhart, who was born in Chechnya, held without bail, citing his German citizenship and saying he posed a danger to the community.

Police arson investigator Edward Nordskog said most of the more than 50 fires were set late at night, while the occupants of apartment buildings were sleeping.

"It is my opinion that the defendant's criminal spree was motivated by his rage against Americans and that by setting these fires (the) defendant intended to harm and terrorize as many residents of the city and county of Los Angeles as possible," Nordskog wrote in court papers.

Nordskog did not say what he believed touched off the anti-American rage in Burkhart, whose mother is facing possible extradition to Germany on fraud charges.

A law enforcement official said Burkhart has been held on suicide watch at the Los Angeles County jail since his arrest on Monday.

State prosecutors in Germany said Burkhart was suspected of starting a fire that burned down his family's home in Neukirchen.

"He is accused of serious arson and suspected fraud. In the early hours of October 14, a timbered house went on fire in the Schwalm-Eder district and this person came under suspicion," said German state prosecutor Annemarie Wied.

OUTBURST IN COURT LEADS TO ARREST

Burkhart's 53-year-old mother, Dorothee Burkhart, was arrested last week in Los Angeles on a provisional warrant issued by German authorities and was facing extradition.

The elder Burkhart, who has been living in a Los Angeles apartment with her son, faces multiple charges of fraud and embezzlement in Germany, according to court documents.

She is accused of failing to pay a bill for breast augmentation, failing to return security deposits on rental properties she leased, and accepting money for apartment units she did not own, the court documents showed.

Dorothee Burkhart, also a German citizen, seemed unaware during a court appearance on Tuesday that her son had been arrested and asked a judge if the "German Nazis" were responsible for him disappearing.

There was conflicting information on how long Dorothee and Harry Burkhart have lived in the Los Angeles area.

A website for an erotic massage service based in Los Angeles is registered to a Dorothee Burkhart who shares the same address as Harry Burkhart. The site advertises topless but non-sexual sessions by appointment only.

Harry Burkhart was arrested after a tip from a member of the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security field office who recognized him on surveillance videotape from an outburst during his mother's initial court hearing, a state department spokeswoman said.

According to the declaration filed by Nordskog, Harry Burkhart was ejected from the courtroom during December 29 extradition proceedings for his mother after angrily shouting a profanity against Americans.

A man resembling Burkhart was captured on security cameras leaving the scene of several of the fires, which caused no fatalities. One firefighter was injured and another person suffered from smoke inhalation.

One of the fires damaged a house in the Hollywood Hills where late rocker Jim Morrison was inspired to write the 1968 song "Love Street" about his girlfriend.

(Additional reporting by Hillel Aron in Los Angeles and Sarah Marsh in Berlin; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/...80325720120105