Man Arrested For 3 Downtown LA Car Fires

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — A man was in custody Thursday after allegedly setting a series of car fires in downtown Los Angeles.

The three fires were set in the span of four blocks in the area of 11th and Hill streets, 11th and Broadway and Santee Street and Olympic Boulevard, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

Officers arrested the suspect near the scene after a security guard identified him.

Authorities said the man admitted to setting the vehicles on fire overnight, all in the span of 30 minutes.

The suspect, who was found with several lighters in his backpack, is a know transient in the area on probation for robbery.

The fires were quickly extinguished by the Los Angeles Fire Department.