Police and residents of Azusa, California, a small city in Los Angeles County, teamed up Friday to stop a suspected arsonist in his tracks as at least three large wildfires threaten the region and winds are expected to pick up again.
With increased officers on patrol amid the wildfire emergency, Azusa Police Department Capt. Robert Landeros said the first responding officer arrived quickly to the scene at Pioneer Park around 11:30 p.m. after neighbors confronted the homeless suspect, who was still there when the first officer arrived.
“This was intentional,” Landeros told Fox News Digital Monday. “Some of the neighbors confronted him, stopped him from setting an additional fire in the park.”
Video shows an Azusa officer handcuffing a man just steps away from a billowing brush fire, which authorities say county firefighters quickly extinguished.
Police have identified the suspect as 39-year-old Jose Carranza-Escobar, “a transient” whose last known address was also in Azusa. They said he admitted to starting the brush fire.
The arrest comes as firefighters continue to battle at least three active wildfires in Los Angeles County that have killed at least 24 and damaged thousands of homes and businesses.