by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News January 15, 2025
An illegal immigrant “gotaway” who was caught with a blowtorch and is being held by Los Angeles police on suspicion of contributing to the wildfires that have devastated the area is a convicted felon with an extensive rap sheet, immigration officials say.
A man with a blowtorch suspected of attempting to set fires in a Los Angeles neighborhood was held by citizens and arrested by the LAPD. / Video ImageImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) confirmed on Tuesday that Juan Manuel Sierra is a Mexican national in the U.S. illegally. He is suspected of attempting to start fires in Woodland Hills, close to the Kenneth fire, after being found with a blowtorch, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Arrest records show that Sierra had at least four encounters with L.A. law enforcement over the past year.
“Juan Manuel Sierra, 33, aka Juan Manuel Sierra-Leyva, Juan Leva, Leyva Moniker, and Juan Sierra, is a Mexican national who entered the U.S. unlawfully at an unknown date and location without inspection by an immigration official,” an ICE spokesperson said. “Sierra has multiple encounters with law enforcement from November 2016 to present for a variety of charges and was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon Oct. 10, 2023, in Van Nuys, California.”
Under California state law, police and sheriffs generally cannot ask individuals about their immigration status or share such details with ICE.
Residents in Woodland Hills, many of whom were preparing to evacuate due to the nearby Kenneth fire at the time, noticed a man biking around the neighborhood holding a blowtorch and attempting to light trash cans with tree debris and a dead Christmas tree on fire, according to Fox 11 Los Angeles. Locals eventually held him down, handcuffed him with zip-ties, and called the police.
“Sierra was arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department Jan. 10 on a felony probation violation,” the ICE spokesperson said. “Officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations placed an immigration detainer on Sierra Jan. 12.”
Sierra remains in the custody of the Los Angeles Police Department. It is not immediately clear whether the LAPD will honor the detainer placed on him, as local law enforcement officials are subjected to strict sanctuary policies at the city and local level that largely forbid cooperation with ICE agents.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement: “”California state law allows for coordination with ICE for people convicted of, or who are facing, credible charges around violent or serious felonies, or other crimes that threaten public safety. Local law enforcement is allowed to cooperate with ICE to take people who pose a threat to public safety into custody when released from jail or prison.”
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Illegal ‘gotaway’ arrested with blowtorch in L.A. is felon with history of violence added by Editor Two on January 15, 2025
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