LAS VEGAS (FOX5) —A 51-year-old man is facing arson charges after neighbors subdued him near a home that had been repeatedly targeted in recent months.
Russell McLaren was arrested this week after residents in a neighborhood near Craig and Walnut held him until police arrived. Video obtained by FOX5 shows someone sparking a fire at an elderly woman’s home. The woman came outside after being alerted by a smoke detector and is seen trying to put the fire out.
Multiple incidents reported
The incident is one of several that have occurred at the home over the past several months. The neighborhood has been on alert, and residents took action this week when they saw McLaren walking down the street near the targeted home.
A police incident report indicates officers found “two-gallon gasoline jugs” on the sidewalk after residents held McLaren. The report also says someone in a vehicle observed McLaren “armed with a machete,” prompting a driver to hit him. McLaren was transported to UMC trauma with injuries described in the incident report as “a puncture to the back of his skull, along with multiple cuts and abrasions across his face.”
Charges filed
McLaren now faces several charges including first degree arson, aggravated stalking with deadly weapon enhancement, destroying property, assault with use of a deadly weapon and fourth degree arson.
In December, the elderly woman’s daughter had a Ring video conversation with a man who identified himself as “Russ.” The man said he was looking for Brady, the elderly woman’s son who died in 2021. The caller said Brady has been stalking him and called Brady reptilian, asking for proof that Brady was dead.
The daughter told FOX5 police said Russ claimed the home’s address is related to the devil and souls are being collected at the home. She says police reported that Russ called Brady a “shapeshifter” and ended the Ring conversation by saying he would be back if Brady stalked him that night.
McLaren was being held in jail on $100,000 bond.
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