Gov. Calls Mall Disaster Area
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency Oct. 22 in Roseville, Calif., after a suspected arson destroyed a wing of the luxury Westfield Galleria at Roseville mall in the Sacramento area town.
A Westfield website announced the mall had been closed in order to assess damages from the arson.
Suspected arsonist Alexander Piggee was booked in Placer County Jail Oct. 22 and has been held without bail after he allegedly barricaded himself in a video game store at in the mall in a standoff with police, according to a statement from the city of Roseville.
At 10:30 A.M. Oct. 21, Piggee reportedly burst into a Game Stop store and told employees that he had a weapon and demanded they flee the store. The mall was evacuated of shoppers and mall workers as Piggee allegedly set fires at the mall, which then spread around the 10-year-old shopping center.
No injuries were reported according to an Associated Press article. However, much of the roof on the mall’s south end had collapsed and many of stores were destroyed. Some high profile tenants of this retail center are Louis Vuitton, Tiffany Co., Burberry, Lacoste, Juicy Couture, True Religion and Tommy Bahama.
The Galleria is the top business in Roseville. It provides $3.2 million annually in sales tax to the city, which is located 17-miles east of Sacramento.
