A "vigilant" and "brave" Vallejo citizen who happens to be a trained mixed martial artist detained a man police say deliberately started a brush fire Saturday before officers arrived and arrested him.
Alex Bello said his natural instincts kicked in when he saw a man use a flare to ignite the blaze behind his Vallejo apartment complex.
"It was a personal fire right behind my house, so it was something that needed to be done," Bello said in an exclusive interview Tuesday with NBC Bay Area.
Police said the suspect drove to the area near Admiral Callaghan Lane Turner Parkway in a Tesla he stole in Fremont.
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Bello said he called 911 to report the fire and during the call asked the dispatcher if he could take down the suspect until police arrived. He was given permission.
When the suspect tried to get away in the Tesla, Bello said he used his experience from his teenager years as an MMA fighter to take the man down.
"I moved in and was able to drag him out of the Tesla," Bello said. "At one point he tried to bite me and that's when I had to get him in a double arm lock."
Bello detained the man until officers arrived and arrested him.
Officers conducted an investigation and confirmed the man started the fire, citing witness statements and video footage, police said. Officers also found extra flares inside the Tesla.
Police said the man admitted to starting the fire and stealing the Tesla after he was read his Miranda Rights.
The fire ended up charring an estimated 15 acres of land. Firefighters were able to keep the flames from damaging any nearby structures, police said.
Investigators are still trying to determine why the man started the fire.
Police said Bello will not face any consequences for the takedown since he prevented the suspect from starting more fires.
However, police want to remind the public that calling 911 should always be the first option.
"We don't expect anyone to put their lives in danger," Vallejo police Sgt. Rashad Hollis said. "You never know what a man or woman is capable of doing."
It is a sentiment Bello can agree with.
"Not every fight is the same," he said. "And you have to seize the moment whether or not it is correct."
