Police and fire crews responding to a second floor fire in a Cumberland County house arrested a drunk and violent man after he tried to kick the window out of a police car.
Fire crews responded to a small fire at 1916 Letchworth Drive in Lower Allen Township around 6 a.m. this morning. When they got on scene, the tenant of the house was waiting outside and appeared to be intoxicated. Police, who have had several contacts with the man, from claims of drug sales to threats, put him in the back of the police car to make sure he didn’t get in the way of the firefighting operations.
Firefighters quickly put out the flames, making sure the damage was kept only to the second floor. However, the man, who police have yet to identify, tried to kick out the window of the police car while sitting in the back. Police forcefully removed him from the back of the car and took him away in another car. The window never broke, but the glass bowed out and the force of the kick broke some trim on the car.
The man is being charged with public drunkenness and institutional vandalism. Investigators will try and determine what caused the fire. At this point, Police Chief Frank Williamson does not believe the fire was intentionally set.
No one was hurt during the firefighting or the scuffle.