Man Held in Vandalism, Arson of Comic Book Shop

A 20-year-old regular customer of the Heroes and Legends comic book store in Thousand Oaks was arrested Wednesday in connection with the arson and anti-Semitic vandalism of the store in September, authorities said.

Investigators said several more arrests are expected soon in the incident, in which the arsonists spray-painted the building in the 1100 block of East Thousand Oaks Boulevard with swastikas and the phrase “Die Jew.”

Ventura County sheriff’s deputies arrested Christopher David Nagano, 20, of Thousand Oaks Wednesday afternoon on suspicion of terrorist acts and arson. He is being held in lieu of $1-million bail.

The anti-Semitic vandalism led sheriff’s deputies to investigate the incident as a possible hate crime. The community rallied around the family of owner Myron Cohen-Ross, a Jewish businessman who lives in Agoura Hills.

Sheriff’s Detective David Ehrlich said Wednesday that deputies believe Nagano acted with several other youths whom deputies hope to arrest in the next week.

Ehrlich said he does not believe Nagano spray-painted the anti-Semitic slogans, although the youth is suspected of helping to set the fire.

Cohen-Ross said Wednesday evening that he was shocked by Nagano’s arrest.

“I’ve known him like five or six years, and he’s always been a nice boy,” said Cohen-Ross, who also owns another store in Agoura Hills.

Cohen-Ross said Nagano, a 1991 graduate of Thousand Oaks High School and a part-time Moorpark College student, came to his Thousand Oaks store almost every week to get the latest issue of his favorite comic, an English-language version of a Japanese science fiction series called Robotech Comics.

Nagano was among the many loyal customers who began going to the Agoura Hills store after the store in Thousand Oaks was destroyed, Cohen-Ross said.

The youth was “as upset as most of my other customers” about the arson, Cohen-Ross said.

Nagano’s mother also said she was shocked by the arrest of her son, who lived at home.

Zen Nagano, 58, said she learned of the arrest when her son called her from the sheriff’s station.

“He was very surprised,” she said. “I was very surprised. I’m so shocked.”

The bail was set at $1 million, Ehrlich said, because of the seriousness of the crime and because it is critical to the investigation that Nagano not be released.

Times staff writer Peggy Y. Lee and correspondent Patrick McCartney contributed to this report.