American University professor arrested for setting fire in mall parking garage

Like Ryan Lizza said, it is a very strange story. The Washington Post reports:

According to an arrest affidavit, about 1 a.m. Thursday, Montgomery officers saw [David] Pitts set a chair on fire near a guard shack at his apartment complex’s parking garage. Then, the documents state, he lit a newspaper on fire in front of a Starbucks and then set a fire in the woods off Embassy Park Drive. Police said they then saw Pitts force his way into the mall, giving him access to a pharmacy, bank and several doctors’ offices. The officers called D.C. police, and Pitts was arrested after a brief chase from the third level of the mall into the parking garage.

The arrest affidavit says Pitts had a white bag containing newspapers and an oily, black substance in a plastic bowl. Police said they found two lighters and matches in his pockets. Inside his apartment, the affidavit says, police found 5,431 prescription pills, including 2,310 Cialis pills, sedatives to treat insomnia and oxycodone.

“@RyanLizza: AU prof arrested for arson. Very strange story. http://t.co/7ztH3Hphfc” Wonder if he was at Wardman Park Marriott last week…

— Dan Ehlke (@dcehlk) September 6, 2014

Hmm… Now that you mention it, Pitts’ Twitter feed does seem to show that he was at Wardman Park Marriott last week.

https://twitter.com/davidwpitts/status/505585383112187904

https://twitter.com/davidwpitts/status/505604383913299968

https://twitter.com/davidwpitts/status/505687248776757248

Pitts also retweeted the following tweet:

@RyanLizza really weird

— Tony Fratto (@TonyFratto) September 6, 2014

Pitts has not been charged in the hotel fire.