Conclusion

Holla,

The saga of the antiqued room came to a dramatic close last night when I received an email from one of my fellow hood-tastic friends. The email included a link to a news story, which is listed below:

SAN DIEGO – A 43-year-old man recently arrested on suspicion of setting several arson fires repeatedly threatened paramedics for several months before the fires were set, officials said.

Joseph Benenati, of North Park, was arrested Friday afternoon at his home on El Cajon Boulevard near Texas Street.

On April 3, he was served with a court order to stay away from the staff and buildings of the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and the San Diego Medical Services Enterprise, the city's ambulance provider.

A judge made the order following several incidents in which Benenati displayed irrational and violent behavior, said Maurice Luque, a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department spokesman.

The order will remain in effect for three years.

Authorities said Benenati set 14 arson fires that damaged homes and commercial buildings, vehicles, fences and trash cans in North Park, City Heights and several areas in eastern San Diego on April 4 and 5.

The fires caused at least $10,000 in damage to all the properties, Luque said.

A call to the San Diego County Crime Stoppers and surveillance video from a business near one of the arson fires led to the arrest, authorities said.

Benenati is being held in county jail in lieu of $1.1 million bail. If convicted, he faces a minimum of 50 years in prison.

During at least three encounters with rescue personnel, Benenati yelled threats at medics, chased after an ambulance in another vehicle and at one point “he pulled out a gun,” Luque said.

“It was a stalking situation in at least one of the cases,” the spokesman said.

Authorities are investigating two other incidents that may also involve Benenati, Luque said.

Emergency crews reported that on Nov. 16 Benenati drove up next to an ambulance and pointed a gun at the driver, Luque said.

About two months later, Benenati drove up to another ambulance, verbally harassed the medics and tailgated the ambulance for several miles, Luque said.

Benenati also harassed a receptionist for the ambulance company when he showed up at the administrative offices in Mission Valley on Jan. 28 and “was acting oddly,” Luque said.

Benenati asked questions about an emergency technician and complained that the noise from the sirens of ambulances and fire trucks bothered him, the spokesman said.

“He said he felt police and fire were always following him,” Luque said.

Benenati is scheduled to be arraigned on the arson charges Tuesday at Superior Court in downtown San Diego.

This is the short, squatty guy that my neighbor saw accosting my room. So, Crazy Joe Wolf, who has a history of stalking people, was pounding on my apartment door, yelling my name, and spraying a fire extinguisher into my room on Saturday night, before setting fires in the streets of North Park. Maybe it was the sexiness of my dancing that caused something to finally snap. I'm like a real-life version of Mango.

Such is Mango

Fortunately, Joe is no longer roaming the alleyways of the hood and I don't have to be scared while walking to the gas station anymore. This provided amazing content for the blog, and I think that I might just tell this story during my stand-up routine. Joe was really a blessing in disguise. A crazy, dirty, and potentially violent disguise. Here is our hero:

-More to come...