Police arrested a man on suspicion of setting a series of trash can fires in a residential neighborhood in Irvine Wednesday with help from observant neighbors and a drone, authorities said.
Kaveh Jake Shahriari, 22, was booked on suspicion of arson, according to the Irvine Police Department and Orange County booking records.
Police first responded to a report of several trash can fires about 2:35 a.m. along Rembrandt, in the area of Jeffrey Road and Irvine Boulevard, Irvine police said in a written statement.
Officers found four burning trash cans, police said. Heat also damaged an SUV parked nearby one of the cans.
“While officers were investigating the fires on Rembrandt, a resident called IPD to report he
witnessed a male set another trashcan fire on Parkdale, which is less than a quarter mile from the
original fires,” according to the police statement. “The resident chased the male, but lost sight of him in the residential neighborhood.”
Officers set up a search perimeter and launched a drone to seek out the suspect. He was ultimately found hiding in a backyard on Wyndover and taken into custody without a struggle, officials said.
A motive for the alleged string of arsons was not available.
Bail for Shahriari was set at $20,000 pending his initial court appearance, records show. His occupation in booking records was listed as “unemployed.”
