Sheriff’s deputies say a disgruntled former employee of a Lennox bondage parlor set the blaze that destroyed the club and killed a man inside.
David Edward Albert, 53, was booked early Wednesday on suspicion of arson and murder in connection with Tuesday’s fire at the Passive Arts Studio, a bondage club near Los Angeles International Airport described on its Myspace page as the “largest, most elegant and best equipped play area in the nation.”
Albert had been fired from the club last week, said Luis Castro, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Deputies discovered him across the street from the blaze, hiding in the bushes. He was bleeding and said he had been hit by a car.
After some questioning, he was arrested. His bail was set at $1 million.
The fire was reported at 11:35 a.m. Tuesday at 10914 S. La Cienega Blvd. When firefighters arrived, they found the 50-foot-by-100-foot building engulfed in flames and smoke, said L.A. County Fire Inspector Frederic Stowers.
About 50 firefighters extinguished the blaze in 20 minutes. During a search of the building after the flames had been doused, firefighters discovered the charred remains of a man’s body.
Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said an autopsy on the body was pending. Messages left on the clubs Myspace page indicated the victim was the owner.
– Kate Linthicum
Photo: KTLA
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