Latest news with #SimonKhalili
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Suspect starts brush fire in California state park while fleeing sheriff's deputies
A man with a sword fleeing Santa Barbara County Sheriff's deputies started a brush fire during his attempt to get away, authorities said. The wild sequence of events started when deputies received a report of a "suspect exhibiting odd behavior" on Wednesday at El Capitan Canyon Resort. While they were headed to the scene, the suspect tried to drive away on a dirt road, but his vehicle got stuck. The suspect, later identified as 40-year-old Simon Khalili from Woodland Hills, then disappeared into a nearby canyon, the Sheriff's Department announced in a news release. A few minutes later, flames erupted from the area, the department said. Around the time the fire broke out, deputies looking for the suspect learned he was allegedly armed with a sword — which would pose a danger to firefighters who needed to attack the fire before it raced out of control. With deputies as their protection, firefighters moved into the area to battle the flames while a helicopter dropped water on it from overhead, authorities said. A K9 unit was called in to help with the search and a helicopter oversaw the scene. Khalili surrendered himself to deputies around 7:30 p.m., about two hours after the chase began, and they turned him over to authorities with California State Parks. The fire was stopped at roughly 1 acre about 10 minutes after Khalili was captured. Khalili was booked into a county jail on suspicion of felony arson and misdemeanor trespassing, brandishing a weapon, and negligent fire setting, according to the Sheriff's Office. He's being held in lieu of a $75,000 bail. 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.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Sword-wielding man evading capture sets fire to popular SoCal campsite
A sword-wielding Woodland Hills man was arrested after allegedly setting fire to a popular Southern California campsite while running from deputies, officials confirmed Thursday. It happened on Wednesday evening, according to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, near El Capitan Canyon Resort. Deputies and State Parks employees responded to reports of a man exhibiting 'odd behavior' in the area around 5:15 p.m. The suspect, identified as 40-year-old Simon Khalili, saw law enforcement approaching and tried to drive away, according to the sheriff's office. However, as Khalili was trying to flee via a dirt access road, his car got stuck. The suspect instead attempted to continue fleeing on foot, running off into the nearby canyon. 'Deputies paused their pursuit into the dangerous terrain and minutes later, a fire erupted in the brush where Khalili fled within State Parks property,' the sheriff's office explained in a release. It was around this time that deputies purportedly learned Khalili was also armed with a sword. Firefighters responded to the scene and, under a 'force protection plan' where they were shielded by deputies, crews were able to approach the flames while Khalili remained an active threat nearby. Santa Barbara County Fire provided footage of the water drops and announced forward progress had been stopped at 7:41 p.m., and that the flames burned about 1.1 acres of land in total. Khalili ultimately surrendered to authorities, and the sheriff's office said he was transferred to State Parks' custody for the arrest. State Parks booked Khalili at the Main Jail for a felony charge of arson as well as the following list of misdemeanors: trespassing, brandishing a weapon and negligent fire setting. As of Thursday night, officials said Khalili is being held on $75,000 bail. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
