A 28-year-old man from Rancho Cucamonga was arrested Friday morning after he allegedly set multiple intentional fires inside the busy Ontario Mills Mall in Ontario, California, forcing a full evacuation and temporary closure of the shopping center.
The crazy scene was captured on video by witnesses.
Ontario Police officers responded around 10:30 a.m. on Friday to reports of a suspicious male carrying a lighter and a backpack who was intentionally igniting fires inside the mall.
Callers described the suspect actively setting blazes in several stores, including the True Religion outlet and Nordstrom Rack.
Officers quickly located the suspect, identified as Luis Javier Gallegos Jr., inside the True Religion store.
Footage shared on social media shows flames burning in the store as police confront and take Gallegos into custody after he failed to comply with commands.
WATCH:
Suspect was caught on camera setting fires in multiple spots before Ontario PD officers took him down in the Mills Mall, inside a True Religion store in California.
Crazy place to choose.pic.twitter.com/XrstriAKh5
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) April 11, 2026
According to a press release from the Ontario Police Department, “One officer received non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and was later treated and released from a local medical center. ”
Gallegos was also injured and was transported to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.
After medical clearance, Gallegos was booked into the West Valley Detention Center on an arson-related felony charge.
Explosive detection K-9 teams swept the mall as a precaution, but no additional threats were found.
Fire crews extinguished the fires with no reported injuries to shoppers or mall employees.
The mall remained closed for the rest of the day.
No motive has been released by authorities, and the investigation remains ongoing.
This incident comes days after a separate large warehouse fire in Ontario that led to arson charges against another suspect, though police have not linked the two cases.
The post WATCH: Dramatic Video Shows Suspect Setting Multiple Fires Inside Ontario Mills Mall in California Before Cops Take Him Down Inside True Religion Store appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.