Former Kentucky wide receiver catches suspected arsonist in California
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Former Kentucky wide receiver Scott Mitchell currently lives in Southern California, a region affected by a rash of wildfires in early 2025.
On Sunday, Mitchell, along with his partner, Davahn DiMarco, helped stop a man arrested for his role in an act of arson in Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles. In the video below, DiMarco can be heard saying “This dude just started a ****ing fire” while Mitchell confronted the suspect.
DiMarco told CBS News Los Angeles that she had initially spotted the man off the trail in the bushes.
“I’m like, ‘That’s odd’, but maybe he was just trying to go the rugged terrain. Then, like 15 seconds later, the tree was on fire and I was like, ‘This guy started that fire’.”
The man, according to DiMarco, tried to get away, but Mitchell, who played 2 years at Kentucky and 3 years in the AFL and CFL, was able to catch up to him.
“Had to run him down, so fortunately I’ve got a football background, playing football at Kentucky and the CFL, so not too bad for a 42-year-old guy,” he laughed.
According to ABC 7 in Los Angeles, the fire eventually spread to a quarter-acre before it was extinguished by over 50 firefighters from the Los Angeles Fire Department. Meanwhile, the suspect is in custody.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
