Man allegedly sets fire outside First Hill apartment building, assaults officers

SEATTLE — A 29-year-old man was arrested early Tuesday morning for alleged arson and assaulting officers, according to the Seattle Police Department (SPD).

At around 1:26 a.m., officers responded to a report of a fire intentionally set in a dumpster within a carport of an apartment building near 9th Avenue and James Street in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood.

Police and Seattle Fire Department (SFD) crews found significant damage to the dumpster with burned contents inside, SPD said.

Witnesses reported seeing the suspect going through the dumpster with a fluorescent light tube, and officers later found him a block away near 8th Avenue and Jefferson Street.

The man allegedly assaulted officers as they put him in handcuffs.

Police found a discarded backpack nearby with lighters and hairspray inside.

SFD said the occupied apartment building could’ve easily caught fire.

The man was booked into the King County Jail facing charges of arson, assault and other charges, according to SPD.