A sword-wielding Woodland Hills man was arrested after allegedly setting fire to a popular Southern California campsite while running from deputies, officials confirmed Thursday.
It happened on Wednesday evening, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office, near El Capitan Canyon Resort.
Deputies and State Parks employees responded to reports of a man exhibiting “odd behavior” in the area around 5:15 p.m.
The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Simon Khalili, saw law enforcement approaching and tried to drive away, according to the sheriff’s office.
However, as Khalili was trying to flee via a dirt access road, his car got stuck. The suspect instead attempted to continue fleeing on foot, running off into the nearby canyon.
“Deputies paused their pursuit into the dangerous terrain and minutes later, a fire erupted in the brush where Khalili fled within State Parks property,” the sheriff’s office explained in a release.
It was around this time that deputies purportedly learned Khalili was also armed with a sword.
Firefighters responded to the scene and, under a “force protection plan” where they were shielded by deputies, crews were able to approach the flames while Khalili remained an active threat nearby.
Santa Barbara County Fire provided footage of the water drops and announced forward progress had been stopped at 7:41 p.m., and that the flames burned about 1.1 acres of land in total.
Khalili ultimately surrendered to authorities, and the sheriff’s office said he was transferred to State Parks’ custody for the arrest.
State Parks booked Khalili at the Main Jail for a felony charge of arson as well as the following list of misdemeanors: trespassing, brandishing a weapon and negligent fire setting.
As of Thursday night, officials said Khalili is being held on $75,000 bail.
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