Man charged with threatening to kill relatives, set house on fire in Riverside

A Riverside man was charged with threatening to kill his relatives last month in west suburban Riverside.

After several weeks of tracking him down, officers arrested 55-year-old Ted A. Coffman at 1:40 a.m. Saturday during a traffic stop in Cicero, Riverside police said. He was charged with two counts each of assault and disorderly conduct.

He was wanted for making threats about 3 p.m. Jan. 12 when he visited his estranged 85-year-old mother and an 18-year-old relative in first block of Forest Avenue in Riverside and demanded money, authorities said.

When Coffman’s mom said she would not give him any money, he said he would “slice their throats and set the house on fire,” according to statement from Riverside police.

The victims called police, but Coffman had left by the time officers arrived, police said.

Authorities had been trying to locate Coffman since that incident, authorities said. At the time of his arrest, Coffman said he was living out of his car.

“Mr. Coffman’s criminal history includes 57 prior arrests including drugs, assault, traffic offenses, and damage to property, obstructing the police, liquor violations, and burglary,” Riverside police said.