Suspected Los Angeles Arsonist Run Down By Former College Football Player

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A erstwhile assemblage shot subordinate ran down a suspected arsonist, and Los Angeles firefighters tackled hillside flames earlier nan burning brushwood could get retired of control, officials said Tuesday.

One-time University of Kentucky wide receiver Scott Mitchell and woman Davanah DiMarco were retired connected their regular 7-mile hike connected Sunday erstwhile they came upon a burning character and a suspicious, disheveled man leaving nan scene.

"'Oh wait, that tree's connected fire,'" Mitchell recalled DiMarco telling him. "'Hey, that feline lit that character connected fire. He started that fire. Get him!' "

By this point, that man was astir 150 yards down nan road. And past each of a sudden, Mitchell recovered himself backmost connected an SEC gridiron successful nan fall of 2004 aliases 2005.

"Even without digging, I was capable to pursuit that feline down," Mitchell told NBC News. "I didn't cognize I still had it, I'm not going to lie."

The man told nan mates he was a occurrence marshal and started nan blaze arsenic portion of a controlled pain — a communicative they didn't judge fixed his disheveled state.

"So I asked him, 'Where's your badge, occurrence marshal?'" said Mitchell, a talent manager. "And location was cipher other complete there, truthful you tin reasonably deduct that he group nan fire."

Other hikers connected nan way helped support nan man astatine bay and called 911.

Andrew Wistic O’Calliham, a 43-year-old bum man, was booked connected suspicion of arson upon a building aliases wood land, jailhouse records showed.

He was being held successful lieu of $75,000 bail connected Tuesday.

Aerial unit and astir 53 firefighters connected nan crushed “fully extinguished each progressive flames” on Runyon Canyon Road successful nan Hollywood Hills connected Sunday afternoon, according to an LAFD statement.

Mitchell and DiMarco were evacuated during nan devastating Eaton Fire earlier this year, truthful they're hyper-sensitive to smell aliases show of immoderate flames.

"Yeah we're grateful that it ended nan measurement it did," said DiMarco, a manner designer.

David K. Li

Senior Breaking News Reporter

Andrew Blankstein

Andrew Blankstein is an investigative reporter for NBC News. He covers nan Western U.S., specializing successful crime, courts and homeland security. 

Lindsay Good

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Helen Kwong

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