SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – Several residents were forced to flee from their Little Italy apartment complex Monday morning after police said a man opened pipes and used a fire hose to flood all eight floors of the building.
At around 12:15 a.m., San Diego police and fire crews were called to the Eighteen Ten State St. Apartments (1810 State St.) in response to reports of a man turning on a fire hose on the building’s eighth floor and spraying water. The man also opened water standpipes on all of the floors, 10News learned.
Water from the hose and pipes made its way down to all floors, including the basement, according to authorities. Multiple witnesses said some residents were waist- or shoulder-deep in water as they tried to leave.
Some residents said the man sprayed them with fire hoses as they evacuated the building.
Officers located the man suspected in the incident in the lobby and arrested him on suspicion of vandalism.
10News learned over 200 people and their pets were displaced from the 100-unit complex.
The building was being evaluated for any potential structure damage.
