Latest news with #DavanhDiMarco
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Couple confront a suspect on video after they spot him near a burning tree in Runyon Canyon
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. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Runyon Canyon hikers stop suspected arsonist during brush fire
Some alert hikers helped stop a man suspected of starting a brush fire in Runyon Canyon Sunday morning. Fashion designer Davanh DiMarco was hiking with her partner Scott Mitchell, a former University of Kentucky wide receiver, when she spotted a man coming out of the bushes seconds after the fire started. "I'm like that's odd, but maybe he was just trying to go to the rugged terrain," DiMarco said. "Then, like 15 seconds later, the tree was on fire." After connecting the dots, DiMarco shouted for people to stop the man as he tried to get away. "Guy's about 150 yards away. I had to track him down, run him down," Mitchell said. Mitchell and another hiker stopped the man from running away until park rangers arrived and arrested the suspected arsonist. "We feel the magnitude more now because we understand what it could have been," Mitchell said. The flames burned near the Sunset Fire scar, one of the several wildfires that threatened Los Angeles County homes in early January. Firefighters doused the fire with water drops and held it to less than an acre. Law enforcement has not identified the suspect. Prosecutors have not charged him as of Monday.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Man Who Allegedly Set Sunday's Runyon Canyon Fire Caught & Detained By Hikers
Local residents likely had flashbacks to the much larger Sunset Fire in January, as firefighters yesterday knocked down a brush fire burning in Runyon Canyon. Firefighters were dispatched at 11:47 a.m. Sunday to 3026 Runyon Canyon Road, at Runyon Canyon Park, for a blaze that started with just one palm tree and spread to about a quarter-acre. Luckily, they had the fire out by 12:25 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. According to reports, authorities also had an arson suspect in custody. More from Deadline Los Angeles Faces "Hazardous" Air Quality Amid July 4th Pollution, California's Largest Wildfire Of 2025 PCH Reopening In Malibu For First Time Since Palisades Fire Bungled Attempt To Make Backyard S'mores Likely Caused Wildfires On Long Island, NY Officials Say; Blazes Near The Hamptons Fully Contained Video posted to social media shows what looks to be hikers detaining a man holding a black bag. The woman holding the camera asks him, 'You just started that fire?' He replies, 'I did. You're right.' The video soon cuts to the same setting with at least three fire engines on scene and a helicopter dropping water overhead. The man is then seen being cuffed by police as the crowd applauds his initial captors. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Davanh DiMarco (@dstylemedia) According to the LAFD, approximately 53 firefighters were on the ground in order to fully extinguish all active flames. CBS News Los Angeles confirmed with the LAPD that one person was taken into custody. 'It wasn't yet clear as of Sunday evening what charges, if any, the person would be facing,' the station reported. The Sunset Fire began on January 8 in the area of Solar and Astral drives in the vicinity of Runyon Canyon. It charred about 43 acres, destroyed several homes and prompted evacuations before firefighters gained the upper hand around midnight. City News Service contributed to this report. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far 'Street Fighter' Cast: Who's Who In The Live-Action Arcade Film Adaption 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More
