Los Angeles, Ca
Video captures arsonists igniting massive fire at South Los Angeles tire shop
Surveillance captured the moment arsonists ignited a massive fire at a tire shop in South Los Angeles.
On Aug. 2 at around 5 a.m., the suspects were seen arriving at Vermont Tires, a family-owned shop located in the 6900 block of Vermont Avenue.
Security video captured two men on bicycles throwing an object through a gate and onto a pile of tires. Flames suddenly exploded and continued growing before the suspects quickly fled the area.
“I’m imagining it might have been a gasoline-soaked rag,” said Misael Guevara, an employee at Vermont Tires, of the mystery object thrown by the arsonists. “I’m not too sure. I’ve never seen anything like that happen before.”
More than 100 tires, several parked cars and costly equipment were torched as the massive flames continued moving toward the walls of the tire shop. The flames eventually spread to an auto shop next door, Brothers Auto Repair.
Los Angeles Fire Department crews arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames before the main structure was destroyed.
Both businesses were devastated by the fire, which left a trail of costly damages behind.
“Including machines and tires, overall we’re looking at about $10,000 to $13,000 [in damage],” Guevara said. “That’s not including the mechanic side because they lost two vehicles and one of them alone is $20,000 because it was complete already.”
“It’s very devastating,” said Mirca Garcia, owner of Vermont Tires. “We’ve been a part of the community for 25-plus years. My mom and dad built the tire shop. They were affected tremendously and it’s a big financial loss.”
Both family-owned establishments were forced to shut down as they struggled to pick up the pieces while losing income from potential business.
“Today, we’re able to open but it’s not as it usually is because it’s a safety hazard for my dad and for the workers,” Garcia said.
The fire is now being investigated by the Los Angeles Police Department and arson investigators.
The face of at least one of the arsonists was captured on security video. The shop owners are hoping the suspects will be caught soon before they destroy another home or business.
“We lost a lot of money and unfortunately so did our neighbors,” Guevara said. “We’re just trying to get back on our feet and run our business again.”
Two GoFundMe pages created to help the tire and auto body shops recover from the fire can be found here and here.
Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the LAPD at 1-877-527-3247. Anonymous tips can be provided to L.A. Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at lacrimestoppers.org.
Los Angeles, Ca
3 seriously injured in fiery sports car crash in Angeles Forest
Three people were transported to a Los Angeles County hospital with major injuries Friday morning after they were involved in a fiery crash on the Angeles Forest Highway.
The crash happened before 11 a.m. and involved at least two vehicles, one of which was a Maserati sports car.
First responders found the Maserati crashed on the side of the road with flames engulfing the vehicle. Firefighters were able to knock down the fire around 11:15 a.m. to rescue the injured patients.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, three people were transported from the scene, including one person in critical condition.
Video from Sky 5 showed the scorched car on the side of the roadway where it apparently hit the hillside. A second vehicle with major damage, a Toyota van, was being loaded onto a flatbed, with California Highway Patrol officials stating that the vehicle was driven by an innocent bystander traveling in the opposite direction of the Maserati.
A third vehicle, which appeared to be a Porsche, was parked near the side of the road not far from the scene of the crash.
Authorities are investigating the possibility that the Maserati and the Porsche were street racing in the moments leading up to the violent crash.
The crash remains under investigation and the roadway was closed to through-traffic for over an hour as crews cleaned debris from the scene. By 12:20 p.m., all lanes of the roadway were reopened to traffic, according to the CHP incident log.
Los Angeles, Ca
Argument leads to gunfire at San Bernardino County grocery store
A man was arrested for attempted murder after an argument led to gunfire at a San Bernardino County grocery store Thursday.
The suspect was identified as William Timoteo Moller, 37, an Apple Valley resident, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The incident occurred at a Stater Bros. market on the 21600 block of Bear Valley Road in Apple Valley shortly before 2 p.m.
Deputies responded to an altercation in which Moller reportedly pulled out a handgun and fired at another person. The suspect was arguing with another shopper, an unidentified 37-year-old man, when a handgun was brought out and one round was fired.
No one was injured during the incident, authorities said. The heated altercation prompted employees to evacuate the supermarket.
A 6-year-old boy was also at the scene when the confrontation took place.
Moller was arrested and booked into the High Desert Detention Center on charges of attempted murder. He is being held on $2 million bail.
The incident remains under investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Deputy K. Mullins with Apple Valley Police at 760-240-7400, or dispatch at 760-956-5001.
Anonymous tips can be provided to We-Tip at 1-800-782-7463 or online at wetip.com.
Los Angeles, Ca
Woman found dead at bus stop in Mid-Wilshire; police investigating
Police are investigating after a woman was found dead at a bus stop in the Mid-Wilshire neighborhood of Los Angeles Thursday.
According to Los Angeles police, the body had been at a bus stop on Crenshaw and Olympic Boulevards for around 10-12 hours before being discovered in the afternoon.
Emergency medical staff responded to the scene and after investigating, the woman was confirmed dead.
It’s unclear how she died but police said no foul play was suspected at the time.
A canopy was placed around the bus stop and police tape cordoned off the area as the investigation continued.
Her identity was not released and her cause of death will be determined by the coroner’s office.
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