LAPD Announces Arrest In Connection With Massive Fire At Da Vinci Apartment Complex

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with a fire that destroyed a massive apartment complex in downtown Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti identified the suspect Wednesday at an afternoon news conference as Dawud Abdulwali, 56, of Los Angeles.

Abdulwali was arrested during a traffic stop Tuesday and faces charges of aggravated arson and arson of a structure. He was being held in lieu of $1 million bail.

The Dec. 8, 2014 fire at the 1.3-million-square-foot Da Vinci apartments, located at 900 West Temple Street, destroyed the 7-story complex under construction.

"The massive blaze that we saw in Los Angeles destroyed a building site but also caused extensive damage to the surrounding areas, including a city-owned building just across the street," Garcetti said.

The fire, according to Garcetti, caused an estimated $20- to $30-million in damage to the Da Vinci apartments, and an upwards of $50- to $60-million in damage to the city-owned building on Figueroa
Street.

The blaze also damaged a nearby high-rise and a portion of the Harbor (110) Freeway.

"This arrest illustrates that crime will not be tolerated in Los Angeles," Garcetti said.

"This was hard," said Carlos Canino with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) of the investigation. "This was methodical, every day, chasing down leads to a logical conclusion."

The LAPD and ATF say they have video of Abdulwali near the scene of the fire, but won't release it. Authorities also say they believe he acted alone.

A motive for the crime was not disclosed.

"We have zero evidence at this time that this was a terrorism event," Canino said.

The ATF special agent in charge confirms Abdulwali has an alias of "Timothy Roston."

Research conducted by CBS2 revealed that an individual by the name of Timothy Roston with the same birth date has a criminal background in California, which includes credit card forgery, vehicle theft, and fraud. The ATF, however, says he has no prior arson arrests.

Investigators say they interviewed more than 200 people during their investigation, but no public tips directly led to Abdulwali; thus, no one will receive the $170,000 reward initially offered.

"The reward, while it was great to have it, it won't be necessary to give," Garcetti said.

Investigators say they don't believe Abdulwali has any connection to the Da Vinci complex. He is expected to be charged Thursday.