Man arrested for vandalizing, setting fire to California police station
HEMET, Calif. – A man is accused of vandalizing the inside of a police station before setting a fire and fighting with officers, police said.
Hemet police told KTLA that Brian Alfaro, 25, came into the police station at 3:50 a.m. Wednesday and began to vandalize the lobby wall by using a sharp object to scratch letters and shapes into the drywall.
Police said Alfaro then began to collect and pile loose papers, which he pushed under a slot in the safety glass partition on the counter, before lighting the pile on fire, KCBS reported.
Three officers witnessed the incident via a closed-circuit security system, police told KCBS. Two of the officers began to chase Alfaro out of the station, while the third began to put out the fire.
Police struggled with Alfaro, who is accused of punching one officer and attempting to remove the other officer’s handgun from its holster, KTLA reported.
Alfaro was arrested and charged with assault, arson and attempting to disarm a police officer. He was taken to jail on $50,000 bail, KCBS reported.
Police told KTLA they do not know the motive for the attack, which left the walls of the police station damaged and the plastic safety partition partially melted.
