Suspicious Fire Burns Taco Truck in Downtown Los Angeles

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, Apr. 10 (KNN) — Flames erupted at the side of a taco truck late Tuesday night arousing suspicion from a worker that the cause was possibly arson after a previous encounter with a potential suspect.

The Los Angeles Fire Department responded to reports of an auto fire around 11:30 p.m. on South Grand Avenue and Olympic Boulevard in Downtown Los Angeles.

When crews arrived on scene, they located a taco truck with flames coming out the left side. It initially appeared that the gas-powered generator had caught fire.

However, a worker on the taco truck stated that a man dressed in all black with a face mask holding a gas can and funnel was harassing the worker recently before the truck caught fire.

The worker shared a cell phone video with KNN of the possible suspect from a few weeks ago. The female worker is heard asking the man where he lived, and he replied, “Oh don’t worry, I live close enough to smell that,” as he appeared to gesture toward the truck.

As the man begins to walk away toward traffic, he is heard saying “I’m going to take care of you … if you don’t leave …,” the sound of cars drowns out the rest of the apparent threat. The worker then says she is going to call the police while her cell phone was still capturing on video the man walking away.

The fire was extinguished in just a few minutes. No injuries were reported.

Gabriel Pabon, Video Journalist / KNN