Man Freed, No Charges Filed in Carport Fires

A 21-year-old South Pasadena man arrested in connection with a series of carport fires that threatened lives and destroyed property has been released and no charges were filed, authorities said.

Timothy Tyler was released Friday afternoon, South Pasadena fire officials said. The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office in Pasadena determined that there was not enough evidence to file charges. When he was arrested, authorities said, Tyler had implicated himself in statements to police.

“It’s obvious I didn’t do it,” Tyler said in a television interview after his release. “I’ve been with friends around the times of these things. I have a good reputable name.”

Tyler was arrested Wednesday as an alleged copycat firebug responsible for seven South Pasadena carport fires. He was considered a suspect two weeks ago, then he was determined to be a material witness to a fire June 16 and released, police said.

When he was rearrested, police said they believed Tyler was mimicking arsonists who have torched more than a dozen Southland carports.