Man Accused of Attacking San Diego Fire Station

San Diego firefighters in Ocean Beach were awakened early Thursday morning by a man pounding on the windows of their fire station, screaming obscenities and attacking a tree.

The incident began around 6:15 a.m. at the station on Voltaire Street when firefighters heard someone yelling and trying to break into the station, fire officials said.

Police were called, and the man subsequently was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism, a police spokesman said.

The station's firefighters, who had waited inside Station 15 on Voltaire Street, emerged to find a fire burning at a house a short distance away on Ebers Street near Long Branch Avenue. They went to the home — which the man lives in — and extinguished a kitchen fire, San Diego Fire-Rescue Battalion Chief Kerry-Shannon Grieser told OnScene TV.

Grieser said firefighters had put out a "cover now" call to police when they realized someone was attacking the station. Video from the scene showed police taking a shirtless man into custody. He had blood on his head and face.

"He did a number on our banana tree and hit several of the windows, thankfully only breaking one," the battalion chief said. "But he was really out of control and acting out of sorts. It was very concerning for the firefighters who were just getting up from their shift."

When firefighters came outside, they saw smoke coming from a residence about a block and a half down the road.

A fire on a stove was found inside the home. Grieser said it was unclear if it was ignited by unattended food or was intentionally set. The cause remains under investigation.

A dog found at the home was turned over to the San Diego Humane Society, she added.

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