Homeless Man Reports Assault, Threats and Burning of His Tent

A man accused of making threats to a homeless man and lighting the man’s tent on fire was arrested Saturday night in downtown San Rafael, police said.

On Oct. 29, a man called from a location off Kerner Boulevard to report being threatened with a machete and assaulted, said Sgt. Lisa Holton.

“The victim said the man threw something at him, maybe a chair, threatened his life and then the victim ran away and hid,” Holton said. “He then heard what he thought were gunshots, so he hid until it was quiet. Then he looked up to see that his tent was on fire.”

The 45-year-old homeless man, who was camped not far from the store, ran to a nearby business to call for help, Holton said. He told police the man threatened his life with the large knife, assaulted him, threw a large object at him and burned his tent.

At 6:24 p.m. Friday, police arrested Francisco Moreno, 20, at the on B Street, Holton said. He faces felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon, making terrorizing threats and arson of property plus a misdemeanor probation violation.