Former B.C. resident arrested in Los Angeles arson spree

[Hum]

VANCOUVER ? A man who once lived in Vancouver has been arrested in Los Angeles where he is a suspect in a string of more than 50 arsons that have caused an estimated $2 million in damages since last Thursday.

Harry Burkhart was pulled over during a routine traffic stop early Monday. He was driving a minivan with B.C. licence plates.

Burkhart, 24, is originally from Germany, according to information obtained by Global News from a former landlord in Vancouver.

He says Burkhart and his mother Dorothee rented a commercial space from him, and he has the court documents from a rental dispute that put them in Vancouver from 2008 to 2010.

A document presented in court suggests Burkhart has autism, and suffers from severe anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Despite his arrest, officials in L.A. are not ruling out the possibility there may be other suspects involved.

Authorities declined to comment on a Los Angeles Times report that Burkhart was embroiled in an immigration dispute over the status of his mother.

source

Los Angeles police said they have strong evidence tying Burkhart to the arson spree -- including fire-starting materials found inside his minivan during his arrest Monday.

But officials have stressed that the investigation is still ongoing. Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said the department was moving cautiously and that it was unclear when exactly their case would be presented to prosecutors.

"We are confident in our investigation, but we have a long way to go," he said.

In an interview with The Times, he added: "I feel very good that we've got the right guy. He had the right stuff in his van and I am confident in the arrest."

Police served search warrants at his Hollywood apartment on Monday evening.

Burkhart is a 24-year-old German national who carried travel papers from Chechnya. He had spent time in Germany, they said, but had lived in Southern California for the last several years. They weren't clear on his motives but speculated that he might have been angry about his mother's pending deportation.

A senior LAPD official said the suspect had attended a recent immigration hearing regarding his mother's case and erupted in a tirade, spewing angry anti-American statements.

It was this incident that eventually led police to Burkhart. Several sources said the tip came from an official at the State Department. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service for helping identify Burkhart.

more