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Man arrested, accused of trying to start fires in Woodland Hills
A group of residents in Woodland Hills helped arrest a man who was allegedly trying to start fires. A police source tells FOX 11 the man may be connected to the Kenneth Fire.
LOS ANGELES - Officials in the West Hills area are investigating the Kenneth Fire that broke out Thursday afternoon as potential arson, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. One person has been detained in that investigation. Now, a police source tells FOX 11 that a man who was arrested Thursday in Woodland Hills may be linked to the fire.
The arrest happened around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, near the area of Arcos Drive and Galendo Street. Residents say a man was riding around on a bicycle carrying a large blow torch, trying to set multiple old Christmas trees and garbage cans on fire. When the man rode away, neighbors followed him, and eventually stepped in.
One neighbor said that a group went up and grabbed the man, even zip-tying him at one point.
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"He was very, like, 'I can't stop. I can't stop. I'm not putting this down. I'm doing this,'" one man said. "And [he was] very focused on moving forward with the blow torch. And we're like, 'We can't be doing that right now.'"
Videos from the scene showed officers arriving to arrest the man.
One police source told FOX 11 that the man arrested in Woodland Hills may potentially be linked to the Franklin Fire, though how was not immediately clear.