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Former Kentucky wide receiver Scott Mitchell was in the right place at the right time on Sunday and played a key role in authorities arresting a suspected arsonist. The ex-Wildcat ran down Andrew Wistic O’Calliham on a Los Angeles hillside and helped police take the homeless 43-year-old into custody after he allegedly set fire to forest land. O’Calliham was booked on suspicion of arson and is being held on $75,000 bail.
Mitchell and his girlfriend, fashion designer Davanh DiMarco, noticed on a hike Sunday a burning tree and a suspicious man leaving the scene. Mitchell ran about 150 yards to catch up to the man.
“Even without digging, I was able to chase that guy down,” Mitchell said to NBC News. “I didn’t know I still had it, I’m not going to lie.”
O’Calliham told Mitchell that he was a fire marshal and that he started the fire as part of a controlled burn. Mitchell asked him to present his badge and noted that because O’Calliham was alone — and because of his disheveled state — that he could “reasonably deduct” that he was the one who set the tree ablaze.
Other hikers assisted Mitchell and DiMarco in keeping the man contained and in calling for emergency services. The Los Angeles Fire Department said aerial personnel along with 53 firefighters fully extinguished the Hollywood Hills fire Sunday afternoon.
Mitchell played college football from 2001-05, attending three schools. He opened his career at New Mexico, sat out a season with the Lobos and transferred to Mount San Antonio College. He flourished at the junior college level and picked up a number of power…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/ex-kentucky-football-player-scott-mitchell-stops-suspected-arsonist-on-los-angeles-hillside/
Author : Carter Bahns
Publish date : 2025-07-16 02:38:00
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