Accused Arsonist Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Da Vinci Apartments Fire
The South LA man who was charged with setting fire to the under-construction Da Vinci apartments in DTLA was sentenced Monday to 15 years in prison.
Dawud Abdulwali, who is in his 50s, could have faced life in prison for the December 2014 blaze.
He was charged with aggravated arson and pleaded no contest to one count of arson while also admitting he used an accelerant to start the fire, the LA Times reports.
The prosecution alleged Abdulwali started the fire out of anger over African-Americans being killed by police in cities, including Ferguson, Missouri.
No one was injured in the blaze.
The fire caused $20M to $30M in damage to the apartments and $50M in damage to the LA Department of Water and Power headquarters, where windows were shattered.
LA also filed a $20M lawsuit against developer Geoff Palmer and his company, G.H. Palmer Associates, which rebuilt the apartments after the blaze.
The suit accused Palmer of not having adequate security on the property and stated he was negligent in not having a sufficient water supply or any firewalls.
The City of LA's claims board approved a settlement this week in that lawsuit.
