According to the Los Angeles Police Department, citizens witnessed a man using a blowtorch to start fires amid the city’s ongoing disaster and apprehended the individual until officers arrived to make an arrest.
Speaking with News Nation on Thursday night, an officer said the fire was intentionally sparked by the man who ended up being detained by the heroic locals.
The man carried a large blowtorch and rode a bicycle down the street while stopping to try and light garbage cans and old Christmas trees on fire, according to eyewitnesses.
When angry residents saw this, they reportedly chased him down and restrained him while waiting on the police.
A neighbor named Renata Grinshpun told KTLA, “We were sitting in the backyard and suddenly, we hear a car come to a screeching halt, and the guy is running out saying, ‘Stop! Drop what you’re holding! Neighbors, he’s trying to start a fire! Call 911!’”
The suspect is believed to be responsible for the Kenneth fire, which has burned over 900 acres so far and still threatens nearby communities and infrastructure.
The individual is allegedly homeless and speaks Spanish as his first language, hinting he may be an illegal immigrant.
Hellbound and Down 