Berkeley police have arrested a man they believe set a trash can fire on Tuesday outside of Sam’s Market on Telegraph, one of a series of nine arson fires that have been plaguing the city.
Travis Eugene Churchill, 25, has been charged with one count of arson and is being held on $50,000 bail in Berkeley City Jail.
A video surveillance camera set up outside Sam’s Market on Telegraph filmed two males walking by around 3:50 a.m. on July 20. A few minutes later, the camera captured a trash bin on fire. Police arrested Churchill from People’s Park a short time later, according to a police department press release. Churchill allegedly was wearing similar clothes to one of the men filmed in the surveillance video.
Police believe there is a link between the fire set at Sam’s Market and the other arson fires, according to the press release.
Since Churchill’s arrest, no more suspicious fires have been set, authorities said.
