July 16, 2025
The incident served as a stark reminder of the lethal fires that gripped the area in January.
On July 13, a Hollywood Hills couple on a routine Sunday hike in Runyon Canyon took decisive motion, apprehending a person they allege ignited a palm tree hearth and capturing his obvious confession in a video that has since gone viral throughout social media.
Scott Anthony Mitchell, a former skilled soccer participant, and Davanh DiMarco, a designer, held the suspect till authorities arrived, averting a doubtlessly catastrophic blaze within the fire-vulnerable Hollywood Hills. The incident unfolded as Mitchell, 41, and DiMarco have been nearing the conclusion of their tour. Their consideration was drawn to a burning palm tree and a person rising from close by foliage.
“There was little doubt in my thoughts he did it,” DiMarco said, observing what gave the impression to be a lighter within the man’s hand.”
With the latest reminiscence of the Sundown hearth, which had necessitated the evacuation of their dwelling in the identical space simply six months prior, the couple was conscious about the wildfire menace. Mitchell, leveraging his athletic conditioning, swiftly closed the 150-yard distance to confront the person.
“I used to be simply stunned I had slightly left within the tank,” he quipped, reflecting on the pursuit. ”By the point DiMarco started recording along with her cellphone, Mitchell had already engaged the suspect. “I made certain he knew that he wasn’t going wherever,” Mitchell recounted.
Different hikers on the favored path shortly joined in, helping within the man’s detainment and contacting police and hearth providers. Some bystanders, captured within the now-viral video of the encounter, voiced their frustration with the suspect.
The Los Angeles Fireplace Division (LAFD) responded promptly, deploying helicopters and hearth vehicles, and the fireplace was extinguished inside an hour. State park rangers and Los Angeles Police Division (LAPD) officers subsequently arrested the suspect, in response to LAFD spokesperson Margaret Stewart. LAPD officers haven’t publicly recognized the person, directing all inquiries to state park rangers, who’ve but to subject a press release.
After leaving the scene, the gravity of their actions started to settle in for the couple. DiMarco uploaded their video, which has since amassed a whole bunch of 1000’s of views on Instagram. “I didn’t understand how large it might be,” she remarked. “It’s unhappy that he admitted that he did that and didn’t care.”
Among the many 1000’s of feedback, a number of customers claimed to have noticed the identical man trying to start out fires in different park areas.
The incident served as a stark reminder of the lethal fires that gripped the area in January. The Sundown hearth alone consumed 43 acres close to Runyon Canyon on January 8, prompting intensive evacuations, although no houses have been broken.
That blaze, nonetheless, ignited concurrently with robust winds that fueled devastating fires in Altadena and Pacific Palisades, tragically claiming 30 lives.
“We don’t wanna relive that, and we don’t need anyone else to should relive that,” Mitchell expressed on Instagram July 15. “Again at Runyon immediately! Thanks all a lot for the love! We by no means anticipated this type of response; we simply did what felt proper in that second. To see so many individuals stand with us means all the things. Let’s maintain defending one another! Sadly, no replace but on the arsonist.”
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