SANTA MONICA—On Tuesday, June 18, Lt. Erika Aklufi of the Santa Monica Police Department informed Canyon News that a suspect responsible for an arson in the area was arrested. The SMPD reported on Saturday, May 25, at about 11:30 p.m. patrol officers responded to a commercial burglary call in the 2900 block of Lincoln Boulevard.
The owner of the business received an alert from the alarm company that a single suspect entered the business by breaking through a skylight. Responding officers arrived while the suspect, later identified as Allen Francisco Contis, 49, was still inside and were able to take him into custody without incident. Contis, who is currently homeless, was issued a citation and released per the LA County Bail Schedule.
On Wednesday, May 29, patrol officers responded to radio calls of multiple arsons in the 1500 and 1600 blocks of Lincoln Boulevard and the alley east of Lincoln Boulevard. Multiple witnesses identified Contis as the individual responsible for setting fire to a discarded tire, a city-owned trash can, and a small garage located directly adjacent to a multi-unit apartment complex.
Responding officers located and arrested Contis without incident. He has been charged by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office with two counts of felony arson [451 (b) PC] and one misdemeanor count of giving false information to a police officer [148.9(a) PC].
When asked if the suspect was connected to any other arsons in the region, Lt. Aklufi informed Canyon News “We don’t know if he is connected with other arsons, though that may come out in the investigation.”
The burglary case will be presented to the District Attorney separately. Anyone with details related to this incident or Contis is asked to contact Detective Tavera at Hector.Tavera@santamonica.gov or the Watch Commander 24 hours at 310-458-8427.
By Trevor