# What's Up With The Los Angeles Arson? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 1, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034 "2012-01-01T13:06:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/1 "2012-01-01T13:06:52Z")
> [@](#): > > The attacks range from the Westside to Hollywood and from the San Fernando Valley south to Lennox. The Los Angeles police and fire departments lead a multi-agency campaign across the county. Full story at the LA Times > **[Rash of arson fires continues, spreads across wider area](https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2012-jan-01-la-me-arson-fires-20120101-story.html)** > > Rash of arson fires continues, spreads across wider area So I hear on the Chicago news it’s over 30 fires now? What are the LA news media saying about it? I put it in this forum because I don’t know really where it should go. It’s not a factual question, it’s not mindless and it’s not a debate. Since I wanted info, I figured it’s kind of opinion. Anyway please move it, if another forum is better Thanks ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/2 "2012-01-01T13:19:51Z")
My money’s on teenage eco-terrorists. They love to blow up cars because, like, The Man. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/3 "2012-01-01T15:19:07Z")
Can I add my guess up front? Copy-cat insurance grifters burning the cars / houses / properties that they have over insured and under-purchased? “Losers call it Domestic Terrorism, Winners call it an Opportunity. They said so at a Seminar I was at last week. Look, just pass that gas can, will ya…? Four dollars a gallon? Why, there outta be a Law…” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/4 "2012-01-01T15:25:41Z")
nothing left in Detroit to burn down, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/5 "2012-01-01T15:38:23Z")
I initially thought that this was a new LA sports team that I hadn’t heard of. ---
**Author:** ![UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/46a35a/32.png) [@UFC\_Is\_Sux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UFC_Is_Sux)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/6 "2012-01-01T15:44:18Z")
Did the Lakers win another championship or something? Maybe the firebugs are just practicing. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/7 "2012-01-02T02:11:09Z")
Gotta be some copy cats. I read in a story that appeared when this first started happening that they were suspecting some homeless guy. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/8 "2012-01-02T04:55:24Z")
It could be a New Year’s thing. Apparently burning cars on New Year’s is a [big](http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1869392,00.html) [thing](http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2011/01/frances-solution-to-burning-cars-problem-snuff-the-story/) in France, for instance. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/9 "2012-01-02T05:04:04Z")
Such trashy shit. It seems like in France, cars go up in poorer neighborhoods (how do you stick it to The Man when you do that?). I thought the LA/Hollywood fires were more scattered? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/10 "2012-01-02T10:45:51Z")
Unfocused anger, caused by the economy, is the only input I can offer. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/11 "2012-01-02T15:46:40Z")
Anonymous? They get blamed for everything else these days. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/12 "2012-01-02T17:55:26Z")
They’ve picked up a person of interest whom a witness described as having “a creepy smile,” which fits the French theory. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/13 "2012-01-02T18:27:13Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Can I add my guess up front? Copy-cat insurance grifters burning the cars / houses / properties that they have over insured and under-purchased? It could have started like that, but now it seems like copy-cats are just [screwing over perfect strangers](http://framework.latimes.com/2011/12/30/hollywood-arson-fires/#/14), some of whom at least most likely haven’t over-insured they’re cars. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/14 "2012-01-02T20:02:47Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > It could have started like that, but now it seems like copy-cats are just [screwing over perfect strangers](http://framework.latimes.com/2011/12/30/hollywood-arson-fires/#/14), some of whom at least most likely haven’t over-insured they’re cars. Not all copy cats do it for money, but all copy cats do it to get something out of it. Following the money & who has the most to gain from the act are both good predictors, but sometimes the gain isn’t money. There’s revenge (personal, familial, or business), mental illness, and even the desire for [del]flame[/del] fame. “Are there no Helicopters? Are there no perky-newscaster Live Reports?” If there are, odds are at least one of the “Hee! Hee! Hee! IGotAwayWithIt” specials is fapping like a mofo all over their Hitachi everytime a Special Report breaks into normal TV. Eventually they’ll get caught bragging to somebody (bleach sold seperately) about it. It will come out eventually (not the stains; that TV will Never work the same) & may even be as stupid as some gang trying to act out “The Crow”. I feel badly for the people who have to live through this, but there’s nothing that I can do. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/15 "2012-01-02T21:10:06Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > …Following the money & who has the most to gain from the act are both good predictors, but sometimes the gain isn’t money. There’s revenge (personal, familial, or business), mental illness, and even the desire for [del]flame[/del] fame… If this is personal revenge over immigration matters, then it’s really just mental illness, because these are clearly just random victims. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/16 "2012-01-02T23:47:48Z")
Three people have been arrested - two people connected to the first batch and then this latest guy today for dozens of car fires. Hopefully, no one will step in to fill the vacancy. > **[Los Angeles police say they caught arson spree suspect who terrorized...](https://www.mercurynews.com/2012/01/02/los-angeles-police-say-they-caught-arson-spree-suspect-who-terrorized-neighborhoods/)** > > Los Angeles police say they caught arson spree suspect who terrorized neighborhoods ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/17 "2012-01-03T00:28:50Z")
This situation is seriously messed up. They think they have the [right guy](http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/01/police-dig-into-arson-suspects-past.html) now (his van having materials in it matching what was used to start the fires). Dude is setting random cars on fire because he is pissed off about some immigration BS for a relative – oh yeah, that’s gonna help yer case. :rolleyes: Psycho moron! There have been 59 fires started. We will see if it calms down tonight with this guy in custody. But, of course, there is always the risk of a copycat going for it tonight. Or an accomplice. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/18 "2012-01-03T01:55:07Z")
The guy appears to be from Germany… ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/19 "2012-01-03T07:14:00Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > If this is personal revenge over immigration matters, then it’s really just mental illness… Which is apparently what he tried to tell his (Russian-speaking) neighbor ([from this report](http://www.latimes.com/videogallery/67118989/News/VIDEO-New-Details-Emerge-on-Arson-Suspects-Arrest-Life-Team-Coverage)). ---
**Author:** ![BeaMyra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@BeaMyra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeaMyra)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034/20 "2012-01-03T07:28:22Z")
Thanks, the local Chicago news just reports blips. At least what I’m hearing. It’ll be interesting to find out who is responsible and why. Let’s hope they caught the right person(s) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-los-angeles-arson/608034.md?page=2)