Transient arrested after fleeing from officers on a bike after small fires found in South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A transient has been arrested on suspicion of setting two small warming fires between Bijou Park and the bike path near Murietta Drive in South Lake Tahoe.

On September 12, 2024, just before 6 a.m., first responders were called to the area when a person reported seeing smoke about 100 yards away from the bike path.

Upon arrival, officers from the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) located the fire and observed a male subject fleeing from the area on a bicycle. Officers pursued the man and quickly took him into custody.

South Lake Tahoe Fire Department (SLTFD) and CalFire were directed to the fire area by SLTPD. SLTFD says there were two small fires about three feet in size and they were quickly extinguished.

Andrew Glabek, a 38-year-old transient male currently residing in South Lake Tahoe, was arrested and booked into the El Dorado County Jail for 452(c) PC- Unlawfully Causing a Fire to Forest Land and 148(a)(1) PC- Delay, Resist, Obstruct a Police Officer. Both are misdemeanors and his bail is $3000.

The quick response of law enforcement and fire resources and the alert citizen who made the 911 call helped the burned area remain small.