Vigilant citizens stop a man trying to set a fire in the Woodland Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles (Credit: FOX Los Angeles)
A man possibly connected to one of the wildfires engulfing California has been taken off the streets thanks to the help of some vigilant citizens who caught him trying to start a fire in their neighborhood.
KTLA reported that on Thursday afternoon, around 4:30 p.m. local time, police responded to an incident involving an individual with a blowtorch attempting to set fire to multiple Christmas trees and garbage near the area of Arcos Drive and Galendo Street in the Woodland Hills area of Los Angeles.
This came at roughly the same time as the Kenneth Fire, which erupted late Thursday afternoon in the San Fernando Valley and is now spreading through the West Hills.
The Kenneth Fire is the latest blaze to tear through Southern California. It has grown quickly to 960 acres and is also threatening homes in the Calabasas area.
The brave locals did not wait for police to arrive to take care of business. They tackled the man, who was holding what appeared to be a ‘flamethrower’ and held him to the ground until authorities arrived on the scene.
One neighbor, Renata Grinshpun, detailed what she saw to 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!’” Renata Grinshpun said.
“We really banded together as a group,” she added. “A few gentlemen surrounded him and got him on his knees. “They got some zip ties, a rope and we were able to do a citizens’ arrest.”
FOX LA obtained exclusive coverage early Friday morning showing the moment the neighbors sprung into action to stop this lunatic.
WATCH:
NEW: @FOXLA has exclusively obtained video of a man carrying a blow torch in Woodland Hills, CA Thursday not far from the Kenneth Fire. LAPD says the man is in custody but “can’t confirm any connection to any fire by this suspect.” #CaliforniaWildfires #KennethFire pic.twitter.com/ULwxtnfsdj
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) January 10, 2025
One witness told Fox LA that the suspect was “very focused on moving forward.”
“He was like, ‘I can’t stop. I can’t stop. I’m not putting this down. I’m doing this,’” the witness explained to the outlet.
“And we’re like, ‘We can’t be doing that right now,’” he added.
A police source told FOX 11 that the man may be linked to the Kenneth Fire, though how was not immediately clear at this time.
The post Brave LA Residents Take Matters into their Own Hands When Man Possibly Connected to Latest SoCal Wildfire Tries to Start One in Their Neighborhood (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.