Man Describes Capture of Arson Suspect on State Route 36

A still from a video taken by Jonathan Kurtz shows the suspect apparently wielding a knife in his right hand and holding a bag with what appears to a lighter in left hand.

Just before 8:30 a.m. today, Tuesday, August 12, emergency dispatchers received a report that the man suspected of starting two fires near Swains Flat on Sunday afternoon had been spotted walking westbound along Highway 36.

For two days, law enforcement officers and CAL FIRE investigators had been searching for the suspect after locals reported seeing him set Sunday’s fires.

This morning’s tip led to the suspect’s capture—but not by law enforcement.

Jeremy Kurtz, a Swains Flat/Bridgeville area resident for 25 years, said he received a call from an officer asking if he had heard that the suspect had been sighted near mile marker 18.6 on Highway 36. Kurtz said that CAL FIRE and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department had been “great” and since the fires had been “searching diligently out there for the guy.”

Kurtz, who has trained in close-quarters combat for many years, decided to try to locate the man.

“I took it upon myself to go down there and just apprehend and hold him until [authorities] showed up,” Kurtz said.

Video compiled by Ryan Hutson from imagery by Jeremy Kurtz, Jonathan Grant, and Trista Kurtz.

Kurtz spotted the suspect off the road near the Twin Bridges area west of Swains Flat, wearing a camouflage jacket and makeshift shoes fashioned from cut-up jeans tied to his feet.

“I had my wife in the truck,” Kurtz explained. “I told her, stay there. I took off running into the woods, and there he was. And so I yelled out to him. I said, ‘Hey, we’ve been looking for you,’ and it scared him. And he dropped the bag that he had… .”

Kurtz said that at first he tried to talk the suspect into walking to Highway 36 and giving his side of the story to law enforcement. “I pulled out my phone and I recorded the incident, and I told him to walk to the highway…[I]t was at that point, he pulled a knife on me… .”  [See the video].

Drawing on his training with North Coast Self Defense Academy and with Institute of Combat, Kurtz explained, “I had put myself in a position to where I was able to take down without putting myself in harm’s way. He still had his knife on him, and when I put him flat down on his face, I recognized where his knife positioning was, and it was at that moment I got my hand away from that and that’s when he launched like a missile into the sticker bush where I was not gonna go. I just chased around him on one of the trails right there and then caught up to him on the road.”

A passing motorist, later identified as Brian Ayala Iola, recognized the suspect, turned around, and helped block his path. Together, they detained him, with Ayala Iola providing a rope to secure the man until CAL FIRE and law enforcement arrived.

Jonathan Grant, another local, stopped by to help ensure the scene remained safe until officials took custody.

The citizens hogtied the suspect with hay string and a ratchet strap. [Screenshot of video by Jonathon Grant]

By 8:46 a.m., CAL FIRE was confirmed over the scanner that one person was in custody. Kurtz said that the suspect’s belongings including the bag that he dropped earlier was located and sent with him as he was booked into jail.

“I’m just happy that our neighborhood doesn’t have to worry every night about fires and stuff,” Kurtz said.

He added, “I find it kind of odd myself that I would be so calm this whole situation. It does feel kind of strange. But, I mean, honestly, that’s what…me and so many of my really close friends have trained for our whole lives to be able to hold down our community and protect the ones we love.”

The suspect’s identity and potential charges have not yet been released by authorities.

The crew who helped capture the suspect with law enforcement untying the suspect being tied up. Left to right: Jeremy Kurtz, SeedSquatch (and a more Humboldt name can not be found), Jonathan Grant, Brian Ayala and two law enforcement officers with the suspect. [Photo by Jeremy Kurtz]

Earlier:

• [UPDATE 4:22 p.m.] Firefighters Battle Two Suspected Arson Fires Near Swains Flat on Highway 36
• CAL FIRE, Deputies Seek Suspect in Two Arson Fires Near Swains Flat
• Arson Suspect in Swains Flat Fires Reportedly ‘Tied Up’ Near Carlotta