Man accused of trying to burn American flag outside Lake Tahoe police station

By Tim Fang

A Northern California man was arrested on suspicion of attempted arson over the weekend after he allegedly attempted to set an American flag outside a Lake Tahoe police station on fire, authorities said.

According to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, the incident took place at the station on Sunday. A sergeant with the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office told officers that a man had lowered the flag to the ground and was trying to light it on fire.

Officers quickly responded and detained the suspect, identified as a 36-year-old male resident of South Lake Tahoe.

Police determined that the man had just been released from jail following an arrest the previous day. The man was arrested on suspicion of possession of drug paraphernalia and public intoxication after being reported of shooting arrows at the “Y”, a major intersection where highways 50 and 89 meet.

According to officers, the man had been arrested by the department at least six times since April for offenses including possession of narcotics, possession of drug paraphernalia, being under the influence of a controlled substance and resisting arrest.

The man, whose name has not been released, was booked into the El Dorado County Jail on suspicion of felony attempted arson.