Suspect accused of arson in fire at vacant downtown Stockton building arrested

CBS News

25-06-2025

A suspect accused of arson was arrested in connection with a fire at a vacant three-story building in Stockton earlier this month, police said on Wednesday.
The fire broke out on June 6 at a historic and vacant building on East Main Street in downtown Stockton. The fire started in the basement and quickly took over the entire three-story building.
All that remains of the building is the brick facade.
On Wednesday, the Stockton Police Department said the fire was suspicious and investigators identified 37-year-old Lucio Carrillo of Stockton as a suspect.
Carrillo was located on Thursday when he was arrested and later booked into jail on arson and several unrelated outstanding warrants, police said.
Nearby business owners shared their frustrations over seeing a vacant building go up in flames.
"I would go by there and I would see homeless people jumping in, and I said, 'Hey, get the hell out of there. That's not your building. You need to get out of there,'" said Richard Soto, the owner of Chicano Research Center, days after the fire.
"We've tried to put in a vacancy ordinance for commercial buildings and vacant lots, but it's too little, too late," Stockton Mayor Christina Fugazi said.
Fugazi also pushed for more enforcement following the fire.
"We're going to get it done, and actually, I've learned a little bit more about it, and I'm going to move in that direction to make sure that property owners are held accountable," Fugazi said.
No injuries were reported in the fire.