At the peak of Saturday night’s violence in Albany, County Executive Dan McCoy, a former firefighter, took quick action when he learned on social media about a fire.
McCoy says he headed downtown, found the TU Center safe, but saw a fire in the nearby probation building.
“Albany Fire Department couldn’t get to it because of what was going on and the scene wasn’t secured and it kept takin’ off and I had a conscious decision, try to put it out with an extinguisher or let it go and that would’ve took that whole block.”
Sheriff Craig Apple says the people who instigated the violence were not from Albany.
“Actually when Danny and I were sittin’ right in front of this place when the bank got broken into, six of ‘em came by, they caught my badge then ran across the street and then circled back.”
Apple says law enforcement has a huge amount of video evidence to sort through.