A “person of interest” in the Kenneth fire, who was caught with a torch near the source of the fire, was taken into custody by immigration authorities on suspicion of entering the country illegally from Mexico, officials announced Tuesday.
Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, also known as Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, was charged with a felony probation violation for “attempting to start a fire” in the West Hills neighborhood near the scene of the Kenneth Fire last Thursday. was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department. He is a suspect in connection with the nearly 1,000-acre fire, according to law enforcement officials and documents reviewed by the Times.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an immigration detainer on Sierra Island on Saturday. He remains in the Los Angeles County Jail. The Sheriff’s Office said ICE will turn over people in its custody if it has a warrant for their arrest.
Sierra has not been charged in connection with the Kenneth fire, but he was arrested by Los Angeles police after he was seen trying to start the fire, according to law enforcement emails obtained by the Times. A viral video from a surveillance camera showed Sierra carrying a blowtorch. Residents alerted the Los Angeles Police Department that he was trying to start a fire, and police detained him until police arrived.
Law enforcement officials said some residents chased Sierra, claiming she had “set fire” to an old Christmas tree that was being disposed of.
While Sierra was arrested last week on a probation violation, a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department sergeant said Monica Smith was involved in a crime spree that began Thursday afternoon near the Los Angeles-Ventura county line and threatened homes in Calabasas and Hidden Hills. He was identified as a “person of interest” in the Kenneth fire.
Fueled by strong Santa Ana winds, the fire burned more than 1,000 acres of brush and raced south through open fields toward homes in the Malibu Canyon area north of the 101 Freeway near Calabasas. However, a series of water droplets helped extinguish the fire, fire officials said.
ICE officials said Sierra is a Mexican national who entered the United States illegally on an unknown date and location without being inspected by immigration officials.
According to ICE, Sierra “had multiple encounters with law enforcement beginning in November 2016 and appearing in court on various charges, and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon in Van Nuys on October 10, 2023. “Ta”. At the time of his arrest, he was on probation for a felony.
A man who shares Sierra’s birthday has been arrested by Los Angeles police at least three times since 2023, according to Los Angeles County jail records.
Sierra had been under the supervision of the Los Angeles County Probation Department since October 2023 after a conviction for assault, said Vicki Waters, director of communications for the agency. He had a pending case for failing to report to his probation officer and violating the terms of his probation. Sierra last reported to the Probation Department in November 2024.
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