Scott Anthony Mitchell and Davanh DiMarco of Hollywood were on their regular Sunday hike at Runyon Canyon when they saw a palm tree on fire and a man emerging from the bushes nearby.
Six months after they evacuated their home during the Sunset fire in the same area, the couple were aware of the risks of flames in the Hollywood Hills, home to multimillion-dollar houses and acres of wildlife habitat. Together, they detained the suspect and caught him on video apparently admitting to starting the blaze.
“There was no doubt in my mind he did it,” said DiMarco, a designer. In the man’s hand was what appeared to be a lighter, she said.
Mitchell, 41, is a former professional football player and was able to chase the suspect down, quickly closing a 150-yard gap.
Given that the incident occurred toward the end of a hilly hike, “I was just surprised I had a little left in the tank,” he joked.
By the time DiMarco got her cellphone camera rolling, Mitchell was already confronting the suspect.
“I made sure he knew that he wasn’t going anywhere,” Mitchell said.
Other hikers on the busy trail joined in to help detain the man and to call the police and fire authorities. Some passersby filmed in the now-viral video of the encounter expressed frustration at the man.
The Los Angeles Fire Department arrived at the scene with helicopters and fire trucks, and the fire was out within an hour.
State park rangers and Los Angeles Police Department officers arrested the suspect, according to LAFD spokesperson Margaret Stewart. LAPD officials did not identify the suspect and referred all questions about the incident to state park rangers, who did not respond immediately to calls for comment.
After the couple left, the shock set in. DiMarco uploaded the video when the couple got off the hill. “I didn’t realize how big it would be,” she said. “It’s sad that he admitted that he did that and didn’t care.”
Their video was viewed hundreds of thousands of times on Instagram. Among thousands of comments were some claiming they saw the same man at other parks trying to set fires.
The couple had time to think back to the deadly fires of January.
The Sunset fire burned 43 acres near Runyon Canyon and triggered massive evacuations Jan. 8 but damaged no homes. Still, it ignited during the same period of strong winds that fueled the devastating fires that burned in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, taking 30 lives.
“We don’t wanna relive that, and we don’t want anybody else to have to relive that,” Mitchell said.
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