Scott Anthony Mitchell and Davan DiMarco of Hollywood were on regular Sunday hikes when palm trees were set on fire and they saw a man coming out of a nearby bush.
Six months after they evacuated their homes during a sunset fire in the same area, the couple were aware of the risk of flames in Hollywood hills, which have millions of dollars homes and wildlife habitats. Together, they caught him on a video of the suspect detaining and admitting to starting a flame.
“There was no doubt in my heart that he did it,” said designer DiMarco. Some of the men’s hands were thought to be light, she said.
Mitchell, 41, is a former professional footballer who chased the suspect and quickly closed the 150-yard gap.
Considering that the incident occurred towards the end of the hill hike, he joked, “I was surprised that there was a bit left in the tank.”
By the time Dimarco rolled the phone’s camera, Mitchell was already facing the suspect.
“We made sure he knew he wasn’t going anywhere,” Mitchell said.
Other hikers on the busy trail joined in, detaining the man and assisting in calling police and fire officials. Among the passersby filmed in the current video of the encounter were some of the passersby who had her frustrated with the man.
The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the scene by helicopter and fire truck, and within an hour the fire broke out.
Officials from the State Park Rangers and Los Angeles Police Department have arrested the suspect, according to LAFD spokesman Margaret Stewart. LAPD officials did not identify the suspect and introduced all questions about the incident to the State Park Rangers.
The shock began after the couple left. DiMarco uploaded a video as the couple descended the hill. “I didn’t realize how big it would be,” she said. “It’s sad that he admitted he didn’t care about it.”
Their videos have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on Instagram. Among thousands of comments, some claimed they saw the same man trying to set fire to another park.
The couple had time to remember the fatal fires in January.
Sunset Fire burned 43 acres near Runyon Canyon, causing a massive evacuation on January 8th, but there were no homes. Still, it was ignited during the same period during the devastating fires that burned in Altadena and the Palisades in the Pacific, igniting them during the strong winds that had killed 30 people.
“We don’t want to relive it. We don’t need to relive it to anyone else,” Mitchell said.
