Torch-wielding man arrested on suspicion of setting fires in Beverly Hills

A man was arrested on suspicion of using a torch to set fires along Wilshire Boulevard on Thursday morning, police said.

Beverly Hills and Los Angeles police responded to a 7:15 a.m. call of a male suspect in a black hoodie and black shorts setting fires with a torch in the 10100 block of Wilshire Boulevard, near the Los Angeles Country Club golf course. Authorities initially provided scant details about the incident, not revealing what was set on fire, how many fires were set or what kind of torch the suspect allegedly used.

Two rubbish fires were recorded around the time of the arrest — one in the 10300 block of Wilshire Boulevard about a quarter-mile away from where the man was arrested, and another to the east near the golf course, according to a Los Angeles Fire Department spokesperson.

The man was arrested on suspicion of arson, but police had not yet identified him as of early Thursday afternoon, an LAPD spokesperson said.

The Los Angeles Country Club declined to comment on the incident.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.