Homeless Man With A Flamethrower Detained By L.A. Residents After He’s Seen Lighting Garbage On Fire

A man with a homemade flamethrower was apprehended by several brave onlookers on Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles.

The suspect, who is homeless but otherwise unidentified, was reportedly riding his bicycle through Woodland Hills setting fire to Christmas trees and garbage cans. Locals report that they saw the man around the same time as the Kenneth Fire started. 

On Tuesday morning, five separate fires occurred, spreading 47 square miles and resulting in the evacuation of over 130,000 California residents.

Local Renata Grinshpun reported to KTLA that she was in her backyard at the time when she heard a car slam to a stop and someone yell, “Neighbors, he’s trying to start a fire! Call 911!”

Grinshpun remembered the suspect holding a “propane take or a flamethrower” while he lit fires in the street. Others later described the weapon as a blow torch.

In a now-viral clip, the neighbors can be seen joining forces to take out the man. Grinshpun remembered, “We really banded together as a group…a few gentlemen surrounded him and got him on his knees. They got some zip ties and a rope and we were able to do a citizens’ arrest.”

Following the man’s official arrest, the Los Angeles Police Department announced that they were investigating the Kenneth Fire as arson, accompanied by the major crimes squad. The man has presently only been arrested on a felony parole violation, as there was no clear motive and not enough evidence to arrest him on suspicion of arson.

Included in the fires’ mass destruction are the Palisades Fire, west of Los Angeles, the Sunset Fire, Hollywood Hills, and the Eaton Fire in Pasadena. The Palisades Fire has been the most destructive, spreading almost 20,000 acres, and destroying over 5,000 homes along the way. The Eaton Fire has destroyed almost 5,000 homes, burning 13,690 miles as of Thursday.

The cause of the five fires is unknown. At least 10 people have died, with the number expected to increase.

All fires are 0% contained.

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