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Police Arrest Man For Setting 3 People On Fire In South Dallas

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Police have arrested a man who they say set three people on fire last night inside a South Dallas home.

Dallas Fire-Rescue found the victims -- two men and a woman -- after they were dispatched to an aggravated assault call at a home in the 3900 block of Mehalia Drive. They had sustained varying degrees of burn injuries, and were taken to a local hospital for evaluation of those burns.

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Floyd Benson, 46 (credit: Dallas Police Department)

Firefighters didn't have to extinguish anything, as they found what was left of a small fire, which burned an isolated area on the floor of the front living area.

Police say as many as seven people were inside the home at the time of the incident.

According to a witness inside, the suspect, identified by the Dallas Police Department as Floyd Benson, 46, poured a liquid accelerant on three of the people inside the home then used a lighter to set them on fire. Benson was also taken to the hospital for treatment of burn injuries after he managed to burn himself in the process of the assault; but was later released into police custody and arrested for Aggravated Assault Causing Bodily Injury.

DFR plans to file Felony 1 Arson charges on Benson at the conclusion of their interviews.

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