A 22-year-old man is facing multiple charges after he set fire to 13 vehicles on a busy street in Edmonton, Canada.
The incident happened on Whyte Avenue, a street popular with bar and restaurant goers, on Friday at around 8.30pm.
Officers were called after reports that a man, who police have identified as 22-year-old Malice Sutton, was pouring gasoline on cars using a jerry can and setting them alight.
Officers were called to Whyte Avenue after reports that a man was pouring gasoline on cars using a jerry can and setting them alight
Police have identified the suspect as 22-year-old Malice Sutton (pictured above)
CTV News Edmonton showed video appearing to show the suspect also lighting Molotov cocktails behind a local store shortly before the alleged arson spree began.
General manager of Next Act Pub, CJ Rowein told CTV News that the man drew a line in gasoline and lit it on the sidewalk after targeting a number of cars.
He lit all four cars on the east side of 104th, crossed the street and then hit about five or six to this side,’ Rowein said.
A woman, who’s car was damaged in the attack, Jessica Venne, was driving down the street in her red Ford Escape when the suspect poured gasoline on her hood and lit the car on fire, as reported by the Edmonton Journal.
Venne pulled up to the intersection off Whyte Avenue and found her car becoming a target.
Thirteen cars were set on fire during the alleged arson spree on Friday night. CTV News Edmonton showed video appearing to show the suspect also lighting Molotov cocktails behind a local store shortly before the spree began
Whyte Avenue where the incident happened is a street popular with bar and restaurant goers
‘Inside me I went, ‘No, don’t you dare,’ and he poured gasoline all over my hood and lit it instantly,’ Venne said.
Although she was in shock, Venne said she quickly tried to catch the wind while rounding the corner onto Whyte Avenue, which helped extinguish the flames.
She then pulled over and poured water over the hood, putting the fire out.
There was slight discoloration to her vehicle but it was not badly damaged.
‘I basically fell to my knees and had a little cry because I was just in shock,’ she said. ‘It was very scary to be in my vehicle with my hood on fire.’
Jeff Halaby, a local restaurant owner, helped stop the suspect.
‘I just was like, I don’t want him to continue down the path,’ said Halaby.
‘I didn’t have anything to stop him with, so I looked around the restaurant to see if I could find anything and I found a piece of baseboard.’
The suspect is said to have drawn a line in gasoline and lit it on the sidewalk after targeting a number of cars
Sutton was taken down by a by-stander in Starbucks who performed a citizen’s arrest before police arrived and took him into custody
Sutton’s charged with 11 counts of arson causing damage, three counts of arson with disregard for human life, four counts of possessing incendiary material and one count of assault with a weapon
Halaby said he followed the suspect toward Starbucks.
Before he arrived at the coffee shop, Halaby found that the suspect had been taken down by another man.
Sutton’s charged with 11 counts of arson causing damage, three counts of arson with disregard for human life, four counts of possessing incendiary material and one count of assault with a weapon.
No-one was injured in the incident.