Arson suspect arrested after fire at L.A. City Hall, officials say
A suspect has been arrested in connection with a fire that broke out Saturday night after an object was thrown through L.A. City Hall’s second-floor window.
In a tweet, the Los Angeles Police Department said that officers apprehended the suspect in downtown Los Angeles around 6:15 p.m. Sunday “without incident.â€
The suspect, Carlos Tercero-Maradiaga, 36, is accused of using an accelerant to commit arson. The LAPD statement did not provide a motive for the crime but said “there is no indication that this arson is related to any other arson or crime series.â€
The fire alarm on the second floor was activated at 8 p.m. Saturday after someone threw the object into the office of Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso, said Warren Moore, an LAPD spokesperson.
Firefighters were quickly dispatched, but by the time they arrived the blaze had already been extinguished by the building’s automatic sprinkler system, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson Margaret Stewart said. No injuries were reported.
Tercero-Maradiaga is being held on $250,000 bail, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s inmate website.
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The fire damaged a corner of one office, leaving the wall, baseboard, carpet and window frames blackened, according to photos viewed by The Times. Plywood covered a broken window panel.
Tso, whose office provides policy analysis to the City Council, said her computer, monitors, printer, phone and other office equipment — along with “numerous documents†— were destroyed by the water from the sprinklers. Artwork and personal photos were also damaged or destroyed, she said in an email.
Carpets in two conference rooms, an office reception area, two storage rooms and three offices also suffered water damage, Tso said. In addition, water flowed down to the first floor, causing damage there, she said.
City Council President Paul Krekorian declined to discuss the arson investigation, referring those questions to the LAPD. However, he said he will demand that Dist. Atty. George Gascón prosecute the crime to the “greatest extent possible.â€
Krekorian said those steps should be taken so that city employees can be confident that when they come to work, “they don’t have to fear for their lives.â€
“I will not tolerate anything less than the absolute most aggressive prosecution of those who would attack government officials,†Krekorian said, pounding his fist on the lectern during a news conference hosted by Mayor Karen Bass. “Because it’s not just an attack on government officials. It is an attack on the people. It is an attack on democracy and it can’t be tolerated.â€
Saturday’s fire is only the latest in a series of public safety incidents to occur at City Hall. Two months ago, police arrested an audience member at a council meeting on suspicion of committing battery on an officer. Police said the suspect had slammed the door to the council chamber in an officer’s face, an account disputed by some other audience members.
Weeks later, a frequent attendee at council meetings was arrested on suspicion of assaulting another audience member, striking him in the face with a bag that had a laptop computer in it.
On Friday, a judge ordered two other defendants, who were arrested last year over their behavior at a chaotic council meeting, to stay 100 yards from council members’ homes and offices for the next 12 months.
Times staff writer Julia Wick contributed to this report.
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