Edhat StaffSource: Santa Maria Police Department
On Sunday, December 17, 2017, at about 0355 hours, Santa Maria Police Officers were dispatched to their front lobby to a check the welfare call for service. The suspect, later identified as Steven Minami (a 23 year old Guadalupe resident), called into the communications center stating he was paranoid and believed someone hacked into his computer. When Officers did not respond as quickly as Minami wanted, he grabbed a Department decorated Christmas tree and placed it on top of some chairs. Minami then lit the tree on fire, which caused the building’s fire protection sprinkler system to activate.
The emergency sprinkler system performed properly and quickly extinguished the fire; however, a large amount of smoke filled the front of the building. Minami was immediately located in front of the Department and arrested. A portion of the Department’s interior walls and flooring sustained water and smoke damage. At the time of this release, the true extent of the damage is under evaluation. Minami was transported and booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail on charges of felony arson, vandalism, and public intoxication. His bail was set at $250,000.00.
MBoy – This guy was probably on something else – smoking weed would reduce and not increase such behavior.
Schizophrenia onset occurs routinely in the young adulthood interval. Paranoia is a major presenting symptom. Accompanying violence is rare but can happen.