Buena Park : Man Held in Motel Fire and Attack on Tourist
Police have a jailed a man they said set fire to his motel room, climbed out a window, then attacked a tourist standing nearby, slashing him with a beer bottle.
Officers identified the suspect as Stephen P. McAlister, 25, who had been living in the room at the Gaslite Motel on Beach Boulevard. They said that Sunday night McAlister set a fire on or near his bed and after leaving the room attacked Leonard Morrison, 59, who was vacationing from Philadelphia. They said there appeared to be no motive for the attack.
Morrison needed 26 stitches on his forehead, police said.
Officers arrested McAlister without incident as he walked along Beach Boulevard, police said. He was was being held at Orange County Jail in lieu of $25,000 bail on suspicion of arson and assault with a deadly weapon, police said.
The fire was quickly extinguished but caused $15,000 damage to the room and its contents, police said.
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