Arson suspect arrested following fire near Santa Rosa creek
A 28-year-old man was arrested for allegedly starting a fire near a creek in Santa Rosa over the weekend, according to police.
Around 7 a.m. Saturday, officers were alerted to multiple calls about a man acting aggressively and who may have started a fire along the south side of the Santa Rosa Creek Trail, west of the 1500 block of Apple Creek Lane. A caller reported that the man had armed himself with a metal pole or stick. Another caller told responding officers the man was seen with a lighter near the scene of the fire.
When police and firefighters arrived, the suspicious man was gone, according to police.
But as crews were extinguishing the fire and assessing the damage, they saw the suspect nearby and requested a police officer to return. The officer arrived and approached the suspect, who was at the time holding a small lighter and repeatedly igniting the lighter's flame while ignoring the officer's instructions. The suspect then ran away from the scene, police said.
For approximately three minutes, the officer chased the suspect. As other officers joined the pursuit, the suspect attempted to hide behind a bush but was quickly found and taken into custody. He was identified as Antonio Martines, a transient from Santa Rosa.
"A SRFD Fire Investigator working with officers relayed information regarding a similar fire in the same area the day prior on September 27 (Friday). SRPD officers are investigating whether the two fires are related," police said.
Police said the fire on Friday affected an area approximately 100 feet long and nearly 10 feet wide, while the blaze on Saturday consumed several square feet of vegetation.
Martines, who is on felony formal probation for assault with a deadly weapon, was arrested and booked into Sonoma Jail on suspicion of arson, obstructing or resisting a peace officer, and violation of probation.