WOODLAND — Woodland police arrested a man early Wednesday morning after he allegedly set his van on fire in a Safeway parking lot and kicked a paramedic in the face.
According to Woodland Police Chief Jim Kelly, officers received a call at 1:30 a.m. that someone had set off fire alarms at the Rodeway Inn on Atlantic Avenue.
While officers were searching for the suspect, at 1:58 a.m. they received another call that a man had set his van on fire in a Safeway parking lot near Pacific Avenue, across Interstate 5.
Officers and firefighters from Clark County Fire & Rescue responded to the scene and found Michael Blain Hendricks, 27, who allegedly confessed to setting his van on fire. According to Kelly, Hendricks yelled at the officers, “I did this, I did this,” and told them that somebody was chasing him and trying to kill him. Kelly said although it hasn’t been confirmed, he suspects that Hendricks was under the influence of a controlled substance.