A pickup truck was set ablaze early Thursday, April 5, in Ocean Beach; gunshots were reported nearby about 30 minutes later, with police and fire investigators working to determine if the incidents were related.
Flames from the truck were reported just before 1 a.m. in the 2300 block of Etiwanda Street, according to a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department incident log.
Firefighters quickly doused the fire, but about 30 minutes later, a shooting was reported about three-tenths of a mile away in the 4600 block of Muir Avenue. It was believed someone fired at a vehicle in the area, but no injuries were immediately reported. Two people, reportedly twin brothers, were detained in the incident.
The owner of the truck saw his vehicle was on fire and reportedly moved it down the driveway to avoid flames from spreading to the homes.
Investigators from the fire department’s Metro Arson Strike Team were on the scene for several hours, and police were working to determine whether the fire and shooting were in any way related.
In a similar incident, a pickup truck caught fire near a Point Loma Heights bar early Tuesday, April 3, but nobody was inside the truck, and there were no reported injuries.
Police responded to what was thought to be a vehicle crash into the Catalina Lounge, at 4202 Voltaire St. It later became apparent that the pickup burst into flames near an auto repair shop below the bar, on Catalina Boulevard.
The truck, apparently unoccupied when it caught fire, was engulfed in flames when emergency crews arrived. Firefighters doused the blaze, but the pickup was destroyed. The lounge and the repair shop reportedly sustained smoke damage.