LOS ANGELES — A man is facing a string of charges after police and federal agents raided his Brentwood home, seizing a fire truck allegedly tied to a fake fire department.
Police identified the suspect as Steve Farzam, who was arrested on July 16 without incident after law enforcement, including the Los Angeles Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), executed a search warrant at the South Rockingham Avenue residence, NBC Los Angeles reports.
Farzam faces at least a dozen charges, some related to incidents as far back as 2023 and as recent as May of this year. According to NBC Los Angeles, the charges include assaulting a firefighter, impersonating a fire officer, trespassing on closed lands and discharging a laser at an aircraft. He is currently being held without bail.
During the search, law enforcement seized an older fire truck registered to the “Santa Muerte Fire Department,” according to KTLA. Officials noted that the Santa Muerte Fire Department does not exist, despite a website and related insignia, and investigators have previously encountered references to the fictional agency in other impersonation cases in Southern California.
Investigators say the Santa Muerte Fire Department first came to their attention during a July 2023 incident in San Bernardino County.
In that case, Andrew De Boer of Chino Hills was arrested after being caught on surveillance video dressed in a fake uniform, armed and using a vehicle marked with Santa Muerte decals and emergency lights, KTLA reports. De Boer, then 42, was booked for impersonating a law enforcement officer and false imprisonment. A subsequent search of his home turned up body armor, firearms, and numerous items labeled with the Santa Muerte Fire Department name, according to KTLA.
Authorities have not publicly disclosed whether there is a direct connection between De Boer and Farzam.
Officials have also noted that in January, two people attempted to enter a fire zone checkpoint during the Palisades Fire, though it is unclear if that incident is related to the current case.
The investigation is ongoing. Police are urging anyone with information to contact the Los Angeles Police Department’s Major Crimes Division.
