Man Arrested in School Fire Released for Lack of Evidence

Police have released a 20-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of setting a fire that caused nearly $3 million in damage to Hoover High School, citing lack of evidence.

Sgt. Rick Young said Zavar Manokian was released Thursday and no charges were filed against him because there is not enough evidence placing him at the scene of the Nov. 1 fire.

“The district attorney wants further information that would link Manokian to the fire,” Young said. “We don’t have anyone positively identifying him.”

Young said Manokian’s alleged accomplice, an unidentified 17-year-old who is still in custody at juvenile hall, told officers that his friend was involved in starting the fire. Police said they also found at Manokian’s Glendale home some of the more than $15,000 worth of computer equipment stolen from the school before it was set afire.

Both of the young men may have been seeking revenge against their former schools, police said.

Manokian is a former student at Glendale High. The 17-year-old had been removed from Hoover High School because of attendance problems and transferred to a continuation high school.

Several burglaries at both Glendale and Hoover High Schools led officers to the two young men.