It was a terrifying afternoon for people at a Central Coast medical building. Lompoc Police say a man entered a Santa Barbara County Behavioral Health facility on East Ocean Avenue, threatened some office workers, and then started a fire.
Officers say William Morales was outside of the building when they arrived Tuesday afternoon. They say he threw a large piece of wood which missed them, but hit a patrol vehicle.
The Lompoc man then ran inside. Officers forced their way inside and arrested him. Some employees had barricaded themselves in a room. But, officer say Morales had set that room on fire.
The people were safely evacuated, but the fire caused more than $10,000 in damage before it was extinguished. The Lompoc man is facing more than a half-dozen charges ranging from attempted murder to arson of an inhabited dwelling.
