Authorities have arrested a man they say set fire to American flags that were on display among several homes in Long Beach.
John Leo Meylor, 35, of Laguna Niguel, has been charged with 13 counts of arson and one count of arson to an inhabited structure. He is also accused of violating his parole, ABC7 News reported.
Late last week, Firefighters responded to a call of a vehicle on fire in the 2800 block of Iroquois Avenue around 3:30 a.m. Soon after, residents placed multiple calls reporting flags on fire along the same street.
Eyewitness News was able to obtain a video that captures the suspect set fire to a flag that was in the yard of a home in Iroquois.
Alexis Lenon is a resident of the area and spoke with authorities on the incident. She says she was woken up after her dog started barking and saw flames coming from her best friend’s yard across the street.
“I think because of him we were able to get our friends out in time, and I just can’t imagine what would have happened if he didn’t wake us up,” Lenon said. “Nothing like this has ever happened before, and by the time it was noon the next day, all of the American flags had been replaced by one of our neighbors and so we’re really fortunate and it’s such a tight-knit community.”
John Leo Meylor was arrested shortly after and the incident is under investigation. He remains in jail on $3.25 million bail.
