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Vallejo man with MMA background uses double arm lock to detain arson suspect
NBC Bay Area ^ | 07/11/2023 | Pete Suratos and Brendan Weber

Posted on 07/13/2023 9:08:53 AM PDT by DFG

A "vigilant" and "brave" Vallejo citizen who happens to be a trained mixed martial artist detained a man police say deliberately started a brush fire Saturday before officers arrived and arrested him.

Alex Bello said his natural instincts kicked in when he saw a man use a flare to ignite the blaze behind his Vallejo apartment complex.

"It was a personal fire right behind my house, so it was something that needed to be done," Bello said in an exclusive interview Tuesday with NBC Bay Area.

Police said the suspect drove to the area near Admiral Callaghan Lane Turner Parkway in a Tesla he stole in Fremont.

Bello said he called 911 to report the fire and during the call asked the dispatcher if he could take down the suspect until police arrived. He was given permission.

When the suspect tried to get away in the Tesla, Bello said he used his experience from his teenager years as an MMA fighter to take the man down.

"I moved in and was able to drag him out of the Tesla," Bello said. "At one point he tried to bite me and that's when I had to get him in a double arm lock."

Bello detained the man until officers arrived and arrested him.

Officers conducted an investigation and confirmed the man started the fire, citing witness statements and video footage, police said. Officers also found extra flares inside the Tesla.

Police said the man admitted to starting the fire and stealing the Tesla after he was read his Miranda Rights.

The fire ended up charring an estimated 15 acres of land. Firefighters were able to keep the flames from damaging any nearby structures, police said.

(Excerpt) Read more at nbcbayarea.com ...


TOPICS: Local News
KEYWORDS: arson; arsonfire; belo; california; fires; tesla; vallejo

1 posted on 07/13/2023 9:08:53 AM PDT by DFG
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To: DFG

This fire was caused by climate change -— a change in the political climate.


2 posted on 07/13/2023 9:11:39 AM PDT by Tell It Right (1st Thessalonians 5:21 -- Put everything to the test, hold fast to that which is true.)
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To: DFG
A "vigilant" and "brave" Vallejo citizen who happens to be a trained mixed martial artist detained a man police say deliberately started a brush fire Saturday before officers arrived and arrested him.

In 2023, I'm amazed the police didn't arrive and arrest the vigilant and brave Vallejo citizen.
3 posted on 07/13/2023 9:12:08 AM PDT by AnotherUnixGeek
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To: DFG

Starting a brush fire in California. Will he be charged and prosecuted?

It’s the Bay Area. What are the chances?


4 posted on 07/13/2023 9:12:34 AM PDT by jimtorr
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To: DFG

Probably just got back from Canada.


5 posted on 07/13/2023 9:15:08 AM PDT by fruser1
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To: AnotherUnixGeek

Could have beat the snot out of him, but didn’t. Took him down, grappled, had a single arm lock, suspect was trying to bite him, so he went into a rear mount for a double arm lock.

911 did authorize him to restrain the suspect, police are not charging him with anything. Happy ending.


6 posted on 07/13/2023 9:19:29 AM PDT by BBQToadRibs2
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To: fruser1

You could be right. These people cause great destruction and dislocation. Been there, done that. It’s bad enough when it happens accidentally but when these clowns do it to get their jollies it’s unforgivable. They didn’t show his face on the news but they showed that he had a bag of road flares near a field of tall dry grass.


7 posted on 07/13/2023 9:25:52 AM PDT by old school
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To: DFG

8 posted on 07/13/2023 9:27:56 AM PDT by aMorePerfectUnion (Fraud vitiates everything)
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To: jimtorr

“Will he be charged and prosecuted?”

Phffft.......they won’t even identify the scumbag.


9 posted on 07/13/2023 9:33:07 AM PDT by V_TWIN (America...so great even the people that hate it refuse to leave!)
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To: DFG
"Investigators are still trying to determine why
the man started the fire."

I'd like to know why this guy was starting fires
in addition to his nationality, race, citizenship,
and immigration status. Who are the people starting
starting these wildfires and why are they doing it?

10 posted on 07/13/2023 9:54:50 AM PDT by StormEye
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To: StormEye

Emptying the ocean with a teaspoon. Miscreants and criminals are emboldened and have no fear of consequences because law enforcement everywhere has been ordered to back off of apprehending anyone who just might be in the country illegally. Or anyone whose arrest could cause a race riot. Remember it’s now illegal for local law enforcement to even try to check immigration status. We are so corrupted it is unbelievable. We are all living on borrowed time until it’s our turn. The isolated do-gooder isn’t going to save your or my ass. The odds are astronomically against it.


11 posted on 07/13/2023 10:42:27 AM PDT by 4Runner
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To: DFG

*** The fire ended up charring an estimated 15 acres of land.***

That’s nothing to sneeze at, and I’m glad they were able to contain it. Still… 15 acres charred already.


12 posted on 07/13/2023 11:23:23 AM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: DFG

He confessed, after Miranda Rights. Why are they not releasing his name?


13 posted on 07/13/2023 12:17:16 PM PDT by marktwain
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