Man arrested after allegedly igniting occupied homeless tent near The Oaks mall
Deputies in Thousand Oaks arrested a man suspected of lighting a tent on fire while two homeless men were inside.
Wednesday morning's arrest came after authorities had issued an alert Tuesday night seeking help from the public as they searched for the suspect.
The incident was reported around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday south of The Oaks Mall. The tent had been set up in a ravine near the Lynn Road exit from northbound Highway 101, between the highway and the mall.
Ventura County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Lohman said deputies were approached by a man who said he suffered burns from the fire. The man was one of two people in the tent when the suspect reportedly poured a flammable liquid into the structure and set it on fire. The suspect then fled the scene on foot. The victims were both in their 50s, authorities said.
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Ventura County firefighters extinguished the blaze by 5 p.m. Both tent occupants suffered minor burns, according to deputies.
Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as Robert Burn, 34, who was described as a transient in the Thousand Oaks area.
On Tuesday night, sheriff's personnel searched the area for Burn with assistance from the California Highway Patrol. Authorities looked on embankments along both sides of the 101 as well as in a drainage tunnel.
The sheriff's office also issued an alert seeking the public's help. But Burn was not found Tuesday night.
At around 8 a.m. Wednesday, a deputy spotted Burn walking in the 300 block of North Moorpark Road, north of Hillcrest Drive, in Thousand Oaks. He was arrested without incident and booked into county jail on suspicion of two counts of attempted murder. His bail was set at $520,000, according to authorities, and a court date was pending as of Wednesday afternoon.
The victims received assistance with housing, food and clothing from the county Human Services Agency.
In 2018, Burn was one of eight people arrested during a barricade in Thousand Oaks. He was later convicted of resisting a peace officer, a misdemeanor, according to online court records.
Jeremy Childs is a breaking news and public safety reporter covering the night shift for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached by calling 805-437-0208 or emailing jeremy.childs@vcstar.com. You can also find him on Twitter @Jeremy_Childs.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Man allegedly ignited occupied homeless tent near The Oaks
