A fire broke out at the Hope Medical & Wellness clinic in the 2800 block of Hollywood Boulevard on Christmas night. Now Hollywood police, fire rescue, and the state fire marshal are joining together to investigate a possible connection to the fire and a cryptic message scrawled on the clinic's wall.
The message, a haphazard but clear admonition written in red paint across the side wall of the clinic, reads: "U KILLED MY SON DRUG DEALER."
Authorities are not yet ready to say the message is connected to the fire but are investigating the blaze as an arson case.
The clinic's fire alarm began to blare shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday, prompting a passerby to call 911.
Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Joel Medina says the fire's origin is being investigated but would not comment on the cause or say if it was suspicious.
Hollywood Police Lt. Nicole Coffin, who called the investigation "very preliminary" early Wednesday, did confirm that a possible link between the message and the fire is being looked into.
According to Coffin, aside from causing damage to the clinic, the fire did some smoke damage to the adjoining business. A part of the investigation includes going through nearby surveillance cameras.
Is the red message an accusation of murder? And is it connected at all to the suspicious pain clinic?
"That's definitely part of our investigation," Coffin said.
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