Arson Charged After Sepulveda SWAT Siege
Los Angeles police Monday arrested a 34-year-old Sepulveda man on suspicion of arson after he set fire to his house following a domestic squabble and then shut himself up in the house with one or two guns, police said.
Ian Bruce Girl was arrested after a Special Weapons and Tactics team fired four tear gas projectiles into his house on the 15600 block of Vintage Street about 4 a.m., police said. There were no injuries.
The incident began at 10 p.m. Sunday night when Girl apparently became angry after an argument with his girlfriend, said Capt. Mark Stevens. Police did not identify the girlfriend. Stevens said Girl piled the woman’s clothes in the living room, then set the clothes and the carpet on fire.
The girlfriend and neighbors called Los Angeles firefighters, who extinguished the blaze, police said. The woman then left the house and Girl, apparently distraught over the argument, went into another room and shut the door, Stevens said.
Police said they believed Girl owned a handgun and a shotgun. With the help of his girlfriend and other friends, police tried to persuade him to leave the house, but he refused, Stevens said.
Authorities were concerned that Girl might ignite a second fire, Stevens said. When they entered the house, police said, they found a .44-caliber pistol and ammunition.
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