Man Arrested On Arson In Bizarre Baldwin Park Gas Station Fire
BALDWIN PARK (CBSLA) – One suspect has been arrested and a second is being sought in connection with a blaze which spread from a car to a gas station in Baldwin Park early Monday morning which was caught on security video.
Baldwin Park police confirmed to CBSLA Tuesday that a man was arrested on arson charges in connection with the bizarre fire. He was taken into custody Monday morning in the area of the gas station. He was not immediately identified.
Investigators are still searching for the second suspect who was seen in the surveillance footage.
The fire occurred at about 12:50 a.m. Monday at a Mobile gas station in the 12600 block of East Ramona Boulevard near the 605 Freeway.
Security video provided to CBSLA showed a car pull up to a pump. The driver gets out, walks around the car and appears to be speaking to someone on the passenger side when there is some kind of flash bang and the car starts smoking. A passenger then crawls out.
The car caught fire and burst into flames. The fire then spread to the entire gas station pumping station.
The gas station clerk also told CBSLA he saw the two men pouring gas on the car before it caught fire.
"There's like a big explosion on the inside of the car, the car's on fire the guy jumps out, his face is like burnt, they're both like, they don't look they're normal, they're almost unfazed by it, even after he's burnt," the clerk said.
Los Angeles County Fire Department crews were called in and eventually extinguished the blaze. No one else was hurt.
The two occupants of the car ran from the scene.