Calif. Man Arrested After Reportedly Breaking Into Firehouse

July 27--A 27-year-old man high on methamphetamine was arrested after he broke into a Petaluma Fire Department station over the weekend and began throwing chairs at firefighters, officials said Tuesday.

Armando Altamirano Arenas, of Petaluma, was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism, violation of probation, use and being under the influence of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia, said Lt. Ken Savano, a Petaluma Police Department spokesman.

The incident started around 10:45 p.m. Sunday after Arenas threw a weight the size of a hockey puck at the glass front door of Station 1 at 198 D St., said Battalion Chief Jeff Holden.

Before the call, Arenas' father contacted police to report his son was high on meth and he was trying to find him to bring him home, Savano said. Next, a call came in reporting a man running into traffic around D and Payran streets, he said.

Shortly after that, Arenas arrived at the station.

He jumped in through the shattered glass while a captain finishing work in his office alerted the crew members who were upstairs sleeping. When the firefighters came downstairs he started throwing chairs at them, ripping the screen off a window in the process, officials said.

Arenas appeared to be in an altered mental state and was saying things like, "I don't know who I am. Help me find out who I am," Savano said.

Firefighters detained him until police arrived. No crew members were injured but the man appeared to have cuts from jumping through the glass door, Holden said.

Arenas was taken to a hospital for evaluation on his way to Sonoma County jail.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno

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