A 31-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in connection with a series of suspicious fires that were set in various carports or parking garages in the downtown Long Beach area over the past two weeks.
Cristian Jehovany Portillo, of Long Beach, was booked on suspicion of arson and possession of a concealed dirk or dagger, according to the Long Beach Police Department. He was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, according to police and jail records.
Long Beach Fire Department Chief Dennis Buchanan told reporters the suspect matched the description of a person seen on surveillance video that was made public earlier this week.
“For the past two weeks, we’ve had five vehicle fires in parking structures in the downtown area of the city of Long Beach,” Buchanan said during an early afternoon news conference.
“All these fires have been suspicious in origin.”
Portillo was arrested at about 2:30 a.m., but no other details were released.
“This investigation is ongoing, so details will be limited to not compromise the integrity of this investigation,” the chief said. “However, I want to stress the importance of the hard work from our Long Beach Fire Department arson investigators and the police department. Also, we are thankful for the community at large for their engagement and for the tips that they have provided to us.”
The series of suspicious fires began Aug. 20 and continued for the ensuing two weeks.
Long Beach Fire Capt. Jake Heflin said the fires targeted five vehicles, two of which sustained extensive damage. Heflin noted that each of the fires were contained to the individual vehicles that were set ablaze.
No injuries have been reported in any of the fires.
