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A man was arrested last night for allegedly setting five cars on fire at a BMW dealership in Santa Monica. Witnesses reported the fires last night around 10:40 p.m. at Santa Monica BMW on 12th Street and Santa Monica Boulevard, NBC LA reports.
Witnesses said they saw a man holding a gas can near the dealership shortly before the fires. One witness, Eliza McMillan, told NBC that she saw the man pour gasoline on the cars, then use a “bomb type thing” (described as a bottle with a lit cloth in it, like a Molotov Cocktail) to light the blaze, then ran. McMillan's daughter said the fire "started shooting like fireworks."
The man was arrested near the dealership. Police have not released his name, or presented a motive. There were also a number of smaller fires set nearby, though these have yet to be connected to the suspect.
Though the condition of the cars is still unclear, they appear to be total losses.
