Man arrested for lighting traffic cones in front of Costa Mesa police station

A man was arrested on suspicion of arson after he was accused of lighting traffic cones on fire in front of Costa Mesa’s police station early Wednesday, Oct. 7.

Around 1 a.m., police said, Claudio Benjamin Vicente, 32, went up to the front doors of the station lobby at 99 Fair Drive, which is across the street from the Orange County Fairgrounds.

After Vicente placed orange traffic cones in front of the lobby doors and lit them on fire, a good Samaritan driving by stopped and put out the flames with a fire extinguisher, police said.

The building’s fire alarm was triggered, alerting police.

Officers found the suspect, a Costa Mesa resident, nearby on Newport Boulevard and arrested him.

The fire’s damage to the front doors prompted the lobby to be closed for a couple of hours for repairs.

Source: Orange County Register