Escondido

Terry Lynn Hahn, the man arrested Sunday on suspicion of arson and burglary in connection with the fire at the Escondido Hyundai dealership, is a former employee of Hyundai of Escondido Inc., police said Monday.

Hahn was arrested at a car rental business on West Mission Avenue while firefighters battled flames that caused $1 million in damage to the auto dealership in the 800 block of Broadway, said Lt. Earl Callander of the Escondido Police Department.

The fire caused about $750,000 damage to vehicle parts and equipment and about $250,000 in structural damage, Callander said, but no cars were destroyed.

The fire at the Hyundai dealership began about 11:30 p.m. Saturday and was contained by 4 a.m. Sunday, he said.

Callander said that at 12:30 a.m., Escondido police responded to an alarm at the car rental business and arrested Hahn as he was leaving the building with three or four sets of keys to rental vehicles and checks from the Hyundai business.

Hahn, 24, is being held at the County Jail in Vista in lieu of $34,000 bail, a jail spokesman said.