MENDOCINO, Calif.—A man trying to protect a marijuana grow in a fire evacuation area in Calif. was arrested Thursday for suspicion of threatening a firefighter with a shotgun, police said.
The Cal Fire firefighter was documenting damage and conducting fire suppression work in a vacant field near the edge of the Mendocino National Forest when he came across a small marijuana garden.
As the firefighter was continuing with fire suppression efforts, he noticed a vehicle drive up to his location.
The vehicle approached him and pulled up next to him. The male subject inside the vehicle told the firefighter that he needed to leave the area, according to a press release by the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
When the firefighter attempted to explain to the subject that he was engaged in fire suppression activity, the male subject told him that he needed to leave immediately.
Police said the man then looked down at an object that was between his legs on the floor board of the vehicle.
As the firefighter looked into the vehicle he could see that a shotgun was between the subject legs, and that the barrel was pointed directly at him.
“In fear for his life, the firefighter left the area immediately,” the release said.
Following a search of the area, deputies located a residence located within the mandatory evacuation area and arrested the suspect.
He is being held for brandishing a firearm in a rude, angry or threatening manner, interfering with emergency personnel or a firefighter at a fire and criminal threats.