Police Chase Down Suspected Arsonist

Police on Tuesday chased down and arrested a man after he was seen setting a small fire at , Sgt. John Hurd said.

At 4:17 p.m. a school resource officer reported putting out a small fire on campus and that a possible suspect took off running — prompting a two-block pursuit.

The 18-year-old man was chased down by police in downtown Livermore at the intersection of McLeod and First streets, across from the . He was detained without incident, Hurd said.

During the pursuit, a police patrol car was involved in a traffic collision with a passing vehicle at Second and McLeod streets. Both vehicles suffered very minimal damage and no injuries were reported, Hurd said.

A man who wished to remain anonymous in this report said he saw the 18-year-old pouring lighter fluid on rugs at the high school before he lit them on fire.

"He said God told him to do it," the man said.

The 18-year-old is not a student on campus and his identity is not being released by police at this time.

Police are investigating the fire and Livermore Patch will update this story as more information is made available.