SAN JOSE (CBS SF) — The man suspected of starting the massive fire during a crime spree that destroyed a San Jose Home Depot last week has been identified as 27-year-old Dyllin Jaycruz Gogue of San Jose.
During a Tuesday morning press conference, authorities said Gogue tried to steal a number of items from the Home Depot after he set fire in the lumber section of the hardware warehouse at 920 Blossom Hill Road on April 9. Earlier in the day, he had allegedly stolen items from a local Bass Pro Shop.
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Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen said that Gogue attempted to leave the store with a cartful of tools after setting the fire and then fled in a vehicle. His theft spree allegedly continued after he left.
“He lit the fire in the Home Depot, tried to steal tools, was prevented from doing that, left the Home Depot,” said Rosen. “As the Home Depot began to burn, he went to other locations to steal items, including a Macy’s in the East Bay.”
Dyllin Jaycruz Gogue, suspect in arson at Home Depot in San Jose. (Santa Clara District Attorney’s Office)
Rosen was joined by San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, San Jose Fire Chief Robert Sapien Jr., and members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) at the Tuesday press conference to announce the arrest and offer details of the investigation and charges.
Police arrested Gogue on April 15 and announced news of his arrest on Monday. He was charged with aggravated arson, seven counts of grand theft and three counts of petty theft.
Liccardo said Tuesday it was appropriate to prosecute Gogue to the fullest extent of the law due to the reckless nature of the arson in a store crowded with weekend shoppers. He expressed gratitude to San Jose firefighters and other first responders who prevented the inferno from being a larger tragedy.
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“Just to put this in context … a fire that can be detected from outer space and within feet of hundreds of homes, Steinbeck Elementary School, and many, many other sensitive locations in our city,” said Liccardo. “I think in many other cities, as District Attorney Rosen mentioned, this might be a multiple homicide investigation. Instead, it is an arson investigation.”
Rosen said the aggravated arson charge can carry a prison term of 10 years to life in prison.
“This fire was not set at midnight in an empty store. It was set at around 5:15, 5:30 p.m. on a Saturday with the store full of employees and shoppers,” said Rosen. “This was an incredibly reckless and dangerous act and I felt that the appropriate way to hold somebody accountable for this crime was the most serious charge.”
Gogue was booked into the Elmwood men’s jail Saturday and was being held without bail. His arraignment was scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
A team from the ATF has been investigating the April 10 fire on the 900 block of Blossom Hill Road just west of Almaden Expressway in South San Jose. The fire reached five alarms triggering a response by more than 100 firefighters and sending a massive plume of smoke into the sky visible for miles.
The inferno destroyed the entire Home Depot store causing an estimated $17 million in inventory loss. The fire also prompted a shelter-in-place for the nearby Hillview South neighborhood and continued to smolder for two days.
No injuries were reported.