Good Samaritan Helps Capture Sepulveda Pass Arson Suspect On Easter Sunday

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A homeless man is suspected of starting four brush fires along the 405 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass Easter Sunday near Bel-Air.

Steven William Adkison, 31, was arrested after a Good Samaritan caught him in the act setting one of the fires and held him down until officers arrived on scene and took him into custody, the Los Angeles County district attorney reports.

He was charged Tuesday with four felony counts of arson to a structure or forest.

The fires were reported around 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the 1300 block of North Sepulveda Boulevard, about one mile north of the Getty Center, according to the L.A. Fire Department.

Using an air and ground attack, LAFD crews were able to quickly extinguish the flames, containing the fires to just one-quarter of an acre. There was no damage or injuries.

Adkison is being held on $300,000 bail. Los Angeles police are continuing to investigate.

In December of 2017, the 422-acre Skirball Fire broke on the east side of the 405 Freeway near Mulholland Drive in the Sepulveda Pass. It destroyed six homes, damaged 12 others and forced hundreds of people to evacuate. Investigators determined the fire was sparked by an illegal cooking fire at a homeless camp.