Los Angeles police probe apartment collapse that killed father

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) -- Homicide detectives Tuesday questioned residents of a ramshackle apartment complex that collapsed into its foundations last week in a bid to determine possible criminal liability for the incident.

A 35-year-old father of two was killed and 35 people were injured when the 24-unit building in the Echo Park area north of downtown Los Angeles gave way last Friday and the two floors plunged into the basement.

Police said detectives from the homicide division were investigating complaints by the mostly Latino tenants of the 76-year-old building concerning cracks in walls, strange noises and jammed doors.

A Los Angeles police department spokesman said the detectives were trying to determine why the building gave way. "Was there any criminal intent or negligence that caused that building to collapse?" the spokesman said.

City housing officials were trying to establish who owned the building and whether anyone should be held liable for structural deficiencies that might have been behind the collapse.

Residents have said they heard a rumbling sound like an earthquake Friday morning as part of the wood and stucco building fell off and both floors collapsed into the foundations.

Firefighters have spent the past three days retrieving clothes, pets and personal belongings from the apartments, many of whose tenants are being housed temporarily in shelters in a neighboring park.

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