Video shows man lighting patrol vehicle on fire near police station
12/06/2019 11:32 am PST
via KTLA:
HAWTHORNE, Calif. (KTLA) -- A man was arrested Thursday after security video captured him setting on fire a Hawthorne patrol SUV parked near the police station, officials said.
Elmer Maldonado, a 24-year-old Hawthorne resident, was detained without incident on suspicion of arson, according to police.
Officers first noticed a suspicious person apparently loitering directly in front of the Hawthorne police station through surveillance monitors, according to the Hawthorne Police Department.
The officers then noticed an unoccupied Ford Explorer Police Interceptor nearby, fully engulfed in flames, the Police Department said.
Police detained Maldonaldo, and a review of security footage confirmed that he doused the vehicle with an undetermined accelerant and set it ablaze, officials said.
MORE: Video Shows Man Lighting Patrol SUV on Fire Near Hawthorne Police Station - KTLA