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Alleged Arsonist Charged with Setting Church Fires

Posted by Fay Arfa | Jan 30, 2018 | 0 Comments

A La Puente man was charged today with setting fires at multiple houses of worship, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced.

Christian Michael Garcia (dob 7/28/92) faces 20 felony counts: 13 counts of vandalism of religious property; three counts of arson of a structure; two counts of second-degree commercial burglary; and one count each of attempted second-degree robbery and arson of property of another.

Case BA465045 also charges Garcia with two misdemeanor counts of vandalism under $400 and includes hate crime allegations.

Arraignment was scheduled today and continued to Feb. 26 in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center.

The felony complaint charges Garcia with vandalism and arson fires between Nov. 25, 2016 and Jan. 25, 2018. A total of four churches located in Pasadena and Los Angeles are named in the charging document.

The defendant also is charged with vandalizing the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Industry Station.

Bail is set at $750,000. If convicted as charged, the defendant faces a possible maximum sentence of more than 23 years in state prison.

Deputy District Attorneys Joy Roberts and Holly Harpham are the assigned prosecutors.

The case remains under investigation by the Inter-Agency House of Worship Task Force which includes members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles Police Department, Pasadena Fire Department, Pasadena Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Los Angeles District Attorney / Case BA465045 / January 29, 2018

About the Author

Fay Arfa

Fay Arfa has the distinction of being Certified as a Specialist in two separate areas of law – Criminal Law as well as Appellate Law – by the California State Bar, Board of Specialization. The National Board of Trial Advocacy has also awarded her a board Certification in Criminal Trial Advocacy. ...

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