A man was arrested Tuesday in San Luis Obispo for starting three separate fires in Madonna Plaza, including one in the cab of an unoccupied truck, the San Luis Obispo Police Department announced.
The man, 34-year-old Cody Allen Miller, described by the department as a transient, was arrested and booked on three counts of felony arson and one misdemeanor count of providing false ID to a police officer.
Officers and fire personnel Tuesday responded to a call around 4:21 p.m. of a pallet that was on fire next to a building. The department did not specify what the building was, but said the crimes occurred in the 200-400 block of Madonna Road in the plaza.
Witnesses saw Miller adding trash to the fire, the department said in a press release.
Miller was then observed by witnesses starting two additional fires: one in the cab of an unoccupied truck and one in a dumpster behind a restaurant. The department did not specify in the release the restaurant’s name.
Miller was apprehended by police as he tried to flee across the street to Laguna Lake Park.
Businesses in Madonna Plaza in the 200-400 blocks include Ralphs, Starbucks, Christian’s Mattress Xpress, McDonald’s, Chipotle, Dave’s Hot Chicken, Buffalo Wild Wings and Mattress Firm, among others.
Miller’s motive is unknown, police said. The cost of the damage is not yet known.
