A 39-year-old man is facing multiple charges, including arson, after police say he attempted to set a restaurant on fire in downtown Nanaimo, B.C. Mounties say an off-duty officer spotted the man carrying a knife in an alley near the restaurant while walking to work at 4:40 a.m. on Aug. 4. The officer recognized the man and knew he was subject to court-ordered conditions prohibiting him from possessing weapons, the Nanaimo RCMP said in a news release Tuesday. The Mountie left the scene but soon returned with additional officers and located the suspect outside the restaurant in the 100 block of Wallace Street. “Officers found combustible materials piled against the exterior of the building,” the release said. “A knife and lighter were also seized from the scene.” Nanaimo RCMP Insp. Donovan Tait says the actions of the off-duty officer “likely prevented significant property damage and reduced the risk to public safety.” “This incident highlights the value of vigilance and proactive policing,” Tait said in a statement. “We are grateful that no one was injured and that the matter was brought under control before a fire could be set.” Court records show Michael James Heywood, born in 1986, was charged with arson damaging property, mischief, breach of a probation order and breach of a release order. He was held in custody following a bail hearing and is scheduled to appear in a Nanaimo courtroom on Aug. 18. Nanaimo RCMP spokesperson Const. Gary O’Brien says Heywood is not connected to other recent suspicious fires in the city, including one that caused significant damage at a nearby fast-food restaurant just minutes earlier. Following that incident at an A&W outlet on Victoria Crescent, Michael Donald Maud was charged with one count of arson and was held in police custody.
