. >> reporter: when 24-year-old german national harry burkhardt was pulled over at 3:00 a.m. reportedly said, "i hate america." what is certain is that officials see him at this point as a suspect who acted alone in setting some 52 car fires in four nights. many of those fires scorching adjacent apartment buildings where thousands lived and slept. >> the serial arsonist, i believe, has been caught. >> reporter: when the surveillance video was released by police sunday night, an immigration official recognized burkhardt. he said the german national had been angry about a recent hearing about his mother's pending deportation. and everything known about burkhardt was immediately circulated to a huge task force working the case. >> thousands of law enforcement officials had the information when they needed to have it, and that's what led to this arrest. >> reporter: who actually pulled burkhardt over here on sunset boulevard? an attorney working as a volunteer reserve deputy sheriff for a dollar a year. >> thank you to the two officers who backed me up. >> reporter: during anothe

just as police were bundling burkhardt into the car. one of many interested bystanders. >> because obviously everyone in l.a. hates this guy right now. so, you know, some of these kids were kind of throwing him the finger. he's got this big smile on his face like he's the joker. oh, this guy is insane and obviously he is. he seemed like a character from a batman movie. >> reporter: authorities say a search of the minivan uncovered flammable materials that match what started the fires. but perhaps the biggest clue that authorities got the right man, the arsons suddenly stopped. >> we have not responded to any fires since this individual was detained this morning just after 3:00. >> reporter: veteran arson investigator thomas derby has helped solve dozens of these cases. how unusual is it to have a spree of arsons like this, 55 arsons in 3 or 4 days? >> this is the most i've ever seen. >> reporter: you've been following it with interest. >> yes. >> reporter: do you think it's one guy? >> normally in an arson suspect like this it is one pe

burkhardt was caught in? it sounds to me like what they're saying is they got the guy and they feel like what they found in the van is the definitive connection. >> reporter: that's what they're saying. they said they found fire sticks in the van, only charged with one count of arson at this point, but they expect more charges to be filed as this investigation continues. they're still poring over the scenes. for now he's being held without bail. >> casey, fire sticks, i've never heard of that. i'll check into that more when we talk with the mayor of west hollywood who is coming up in just a few moments, he'll join us to talk about the investigation and so john duran coming up shortly. >>> harsh winds and snowshowers continue this morning around the great lakes. beware, there are icy roads making for very dangerous driving conditions. meteorologist rob marciano joins us with the very latest on this forecast. boy, what a change. >> oh, yeah. and people as far south as atlanta, all the way down to south beach fo

canadian authorities looking into whether harry burkhardt is responsible for 12 suspicious fires in vancouver. he lived in that area before moving down to lncht a., where he is now accused of setting dozens of fires over four days. he is also under investigation in his native germany for a series of fires there. burkhardt's mother will be in court to fight extradition by the german government. >>> boxer floyd mayweather jr. expected to turn himself in for a 90-day jail sentence, a judge ordering him to start his sentence some time today at a county jail in las vegas. he admits to attacking his ex-girlfriend at a home while their two children were watching. good behavior could knock 30 days off the sentence. >>> crawling to safety after driving off the interstate and landing in an icy pond. check out this video. semi hauling a target trailer up to its windows in the twin cities in minnesota. no word on why the semi swerved from the interstate into the pond. the driver just has minor injuries, believe it or not. >>> ford is launching a tomorrowland of sorts here in the bay area, where scientist

burkhardt has been charged with more than 30 counts of arson. his family's home on fire in germany uÑback in t$uoctober. >>> california's wildfire activity and the lack of rain has cal ñnfire on alert. the crews have responded to çk more fires last december than a typical ñnÑ-december. as Ñ-a result. burn days have been canceled and they are asking for us to be especially careful. >>> and the rain Ñ-should be a lot -- the grass should be a Ñ- lot taller and thicker but without rain it is thin and ñnçk short. with the cost of hay selling could see the affects at the grocery store. >> we had a big drought and if that happens in california, beef prices in the grocery store will ;+ñjmÑeven go highe >> now in hollisster, wágÑhe sp $75,000 to plant the crop but çk it is a total Ñ-ñnloss. >>> time now 6:27 it Ñ-is a nonprofit which puts some of the poorest xbay area residents to work but now they need help from the police. they need help finding tthe person who çbwoke in and damage their office p Ñspace. >>> the distribute over Ñ-a yrri÷knÑ-Ñ-Ñ-and

burkhardt lives in a second story apartment in hollywood. neighbors don't know if he had a job. charged with one count of arson now and is being held without bail. >> an arrest is not a prosecution, and a prosecution is not a conviction. we are very confident in this arrest, but we have a long way to go. >> reporter: now, in a county of ten million people, catching burkhardt wasn't easy, but at 3 a.m. yesterday a reserve deputy by night saw a man that matched the description of the one sought by the cops. yesterday officials praised him for making the stop. >> a full-time attorney and a part-time reserve deputy sheriff, although for the past four days he's been working full time for a dollar a year -- >> give him a raise. >> and i'll give him a raise of another dollar a year. >> reporter: l.a. county uses reserves to supplement staff. he's from tehran, he just qualified, megyn, to ride solo in a squad car. we also did hear that harry burkhardt's mother is going to be in a courtroom today on extradition to germany on those criminal charges, and burkhardt himself will be in court

burkhardt was caught in? it sounds to me like what they're saying is they got the guy and they feel like what they found in the van is the definitive connection. >> reporter: that's what they're saying. they said they found fire sticks in the van, only charged with one count of arson at this point, but they expect more charges to be filed as this investigation continues. they're still poring over the scenes. for now he's being held without bail. >> casey, fire sticks, i've never heard of that. i'll check into that more when we talk with the mayor of west hollywood who is coming up in just a few moments, he'll join us to talk about the investigation and so john duran coming up shortly. >>> harsh winds and snowshowers continue this morning around the great lakes. beware, there are icy roads making for very dangerous driving conditions. meteorologist rob marciano joins us with the very latest on this forecast. boy, what a change. >> oh, yeah. and people as far south as atlanta, all the way down to south beach fo

larry burkhardt was taken into custody yesterday morning.was pulled over while driving a van similar to the one captured in the surveillance video near the scene of the fires. more than 50 fires were set mostly in parked cars which then spread to car ports an apartment buildings. >> these crimes will not be tolerated in the city of los angeles in the county, city of west hollywood or anywhere. the considering committing is similar act of arson know we will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law. >> a motive behind the arizona sons may have been burkhardt's anger because of his mother's deportation. he attended a hearing and apparently caused a big scene yelling anti-american statements. now the deputy that arrested him is being called a hero. it turns out he is what is called a reserve deputy. his day job is working as a real estate lawyer. he makes $1.00 a year working for the sheriff's department. he happened to be working the night hundreds of officers were looking for the suspect. he spotted the van long after his ei

harry burkhardt was charged with one count of arson, of an inhabited dwelling and currently being heldout bail. we expect as the investigation continues he will face additional charges. >> here's how authorities say at rest came out. a business surveillance camera caught this video of a white man, pony tail, receding hairline and the police released the video. a member of the public called and said he knew who the suspect was, harry burkhardt, a german national driving a canadian registered van. that information was circulated immediately to the huge task force working the case. >> literally thousands of law enforcement officials had the information when they needed to have it and that's what led to this arrest. >> who made the traffic stop near sunset boulevard that ended with burkhardt under arrest? a volunteer deputy sheriff named shervin lahe willezare. >> thank you to the two officers who backed me up, as soon as i put on my lights and initiated a traffic stop of the suspect vehicle, i had an lapd vehicle behind me. >> one of the last fires waking eric jones of north hollywood.

. >>> they have arrested a man behind the series of arson attacks. 24-year-old harry burkhardt from germany was taken into custody yesterday morning. he was driving a van similar to the one linked to the fires. he also resembles a man near the scene of one of the fires. in the course over five days 50 fires were set mostly in parked cars but then spread to car ports an apartment buildings. >> the information from the public from what they were observing over the four days and tips they called in were critical in being able to respond quickly to these incidents and to resolve them without further loss of property and life. >> there are reports that the motive behind the arsons may have been his anger over his mother's pending deportation. he recently attended a hearing and caused a scene yelling anti- american statements. >>> the national park remains closed following the discovery of a suspected gunman. barns is suspected of killing park ranger margaret anderson during a traffic stop. he was found wearing only a t- shirt and jeans and he was also a suspect near the shooting near seattle tha

investigators say they have strong evidence linking a 24-year-old german native harry burkhardt to a string of fires. the arsons mainly targeting vehicles caused millions in damage, the word was $3 million. authorities believe he was upset over his mother's possible expedition for crimes she faces in germany. >>> it is 4:45 right now. wall street started off 2012 with a bang. this morning we'll find out if it's a sign of things to come. for more on that, let's turn to brian shactman live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning, brian. >> good morning. it was a great day yesterday. futures right now are slightly lower after the strong start to the 2012 trading year yesterday. they were up on the back of several better-than-expected reports on manufacturing from all around the world including in the u.s. asian markets were mostly higher overnight. europe is slightly mixed. the dow is down to 12,307. when stocks are positive on the first trading day of the year, historically they end the year higher 70% of the time. we'll see if this year is part of that 70%. automakers report december

harry burkhardt has already been charged with 70 counts of arson.s wearing a special gown preventing him from harming himself. his bail was set at $50 million. he set the fires because of his rage against americans. he is also suspected of setting his family's home in germany -- 3f#o$cnjcs% they have responded to more wildfires last month which is typical for which is not typical for december. burn days have been canceled and they are asking you the public to be careful especially when it is windy out there. >>> local cattle ranchers are praying for rain. they say the grass should be thicker and taller and with no rain it is shin and short. on top of that there is less grass for gracing. with grass and hay selling for twice the price, it will affect you in the grocery stores. you in the grocery stores. >> we lost a lot tab higher. >>> in hollisster we found somebody using a water truck. he said it cost him $75,000 to plant the crop but it is a total loss. >>> firefighters in rancho cordova, who firefighters are crediting for saving lives. >>> we hav

if harry burkhardt is under investigation for fraud and arson. when they searched his pardon me they found articles about the fire and a series of car fires in germany last year. he was arraigned on 37 counts of arson. police think he ignited 50 fires in los angeles in a span of four days. >>> another round of arrests. a handful of demonstrators taken into custody before 11:30. reports say nearly 60 officers were involved in the sweep. despy the raid, they are stay pg ut. >> we're not going anywhere. the country is not working. a lot of us voted for obama. it's a corrupt, broken system. we're trying to fix it zblflt the raid comes after a dispute between the city and occupy protesters over a vigil. earlier this week they revoked a permit an told protesters they had to take it down. the city said protesters violated the permit conditions. >>> oakland police detectives are investigating the city's first homicide of the year. happened before 8:45 on east 25th street near 19th avenue. they say a man was shot but don't know what led up to the shooting

. >>> burkhardt was taken into custody early yesterday morning. he was pulled over while driving a van similar to the one linked to the fires and he was also spotted in a surveillance video near the scene of one of the fires. over the course of four days 50 fires were set mostly in parked cars but then spread to car ports an apartment buildings. >> with the information from the public from what they were observing over the four days and tips they called in was critical for us to be able to respond quickly and to resolve them quickly without further loss of property and life. >> there are reports that the motive behind the arsons may have been anger over his mother's deportation. he apparently caused quite a scene at her hearing calling out anti-american statements. >>> it turns out he is what is called a reserve deputy. he makes $1.00 a year working for the sheriff's department and was out on patrol when hundreds of officers were searching for the suspect. he spotted the van long after his eight-hour shift was supposed to end. >>> he is still on t

canada authorities looking into whether harry burkhardt is responsible for 12 suspicious fires last year in vancouver. police are looking into whether he's responsible for fires in that country. he was charged with 37 counts of arson. >>> it is 5:20. the woman accused of killing the mother of her partner plan to plead not guilty. the participants of sagal sadig have hired two high-powered defense attorneys. she appeared in court with a cast on her arm. the wife was trying to end the three-year marriage and might have been the motive for the murder. sadig is being held without bail and was ordered by the judge to stop trying to contact her partner. >>> coming up, how you can give the young boy from the bay area a second chance at life. >>> plus, a tribute to his father. how the story of a san francisco mayor george mosconi is being told through the eyes of his son. >>> netflix doesn't have a single problem this morning. it has two problems. >>> a new play will debut foc focusing on the assassination of george moscone. it looks at the life and death of moscone from his son's eyes. he was j

burkhardt was arraigned on 37 counts of arson. los angeles investigators say he started more than 50 fires in four days. frlt it's 6:06 now. this is the time of year when fire danger is usually low. but that's not the case this year. the sierra snow pack is one-fifth of normal. and the state's water content can't measure up here. it's only at 19% the normal rate. cal fire officials say there were more fires last month and the lack of rain could cause greater fire danger once spring and summer get here. >>> right now want to check in with meteorologist christina loren. it's going to feel a little spring like today. >> yeah, that will put a little spring in your step. this morning in the coldest cities we are not -- well, we're close to the freezing marx but we're not below it. 36 degrees is as cold as it is right now. the outlying agricultural areas where we get the most extreme weather. yesterday we broke records. 72 degrees this time of year. very unusual. as we head throughout the day today. i'm talking your numbers up. maybe 1

authorities say they have a man in custody his name is terry burkhardt.ld from germany he is believed to be responsible for setting 53 fires of the last week. those fires cost roughly $2 million in damage. >> darya: thank you for waking up with the kron4 morning news, will be back in just a couple of minutes, the big story in weather in the fog. we have not only here but the approach to the bay bridge live in jackie sizzle is looking at the stand, the actual span and the approach to the golden gate are part full of fog. and there is the golden gate right there and that is where you're coming out of the thickest fog. we will be right back. we're gonna erase breast cancer once and for all. walking 60 miles... in three days. (woman) we're united. (woman) a family. (woman) a coming together of thousands. so that one has to suffer the agony of a loss. the agony of my loss. we're going to erase breast cancer once and for all. (woman) walking 60 miles. (woman) in three days. join us. (man) register today for the... and receive $25 off your registration fee. beca

harry burkhardt will also have to surrender his german passport while he waits to be tried. it is believed the 42-year-old started more than 50 fires after his mother's arrest led to his "rage" against americans. >>> casey anthony out of the news and out of sight for months is apparently speaking out for the first time since acquitted of murdering her little daughter, caylee. in a four-minute video diary on youtube and facebook, she makes only a vague reference to o her sensational trial last summer but says nothing about caylee, her daughter, her parents or where she is in hiding. anthony's attorney issued a statement saying, "casey has maintained notes and memoirs for her personal counseling. she did not upload or release this to youtube. she doesn't know how the video got on youtube, she did not authorize it and therefore it had to be obtain illegally. nancy grace covered the anthony still for hln. she'll join us for reaction to this video in just a moment. >>> also ahead, amid an anemic economy and a new era of record budget cuts, president obama has announced a major sh