MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A 37-year-old man is facing an attempted arson charge after police said he tried to set a gas pump on fire at a gas station in Miami-Dade County, authorities said.
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Jail records show Gerardo Lopez-Zacarias, who is listed as homeless in his arrest report, is facing one count of first-degree attempted arson.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, deputies responded just before 7 p.m. Thursday to the Speedway gas station at 8190 SW 40th St., just east of the Florida Turnpike, after receiving reports of a man attempting to ignite a pump.
A witness told investigators he was pumping gas when he saw Lopez-Zacarias talking to himself near a nearby pump, the report stated.
The witness said Lopez-Zacarias was holding a crushed Modelo beer box in one hand and flicking a lighter in the other, according to police.
When he was unsuccessful in lighting the box, police said he placed it on the ground, grabbed the nozzle from the gas pump, and tried to set it on fire with the lighter, according to the report.
Perez said he confronted the man, who yelled something in Spanish before walking away.
Perez then alerted the store clerk, who police said stepped outside and saw the gas nozzle on the ground.
The clerk told investigators he took a photo of Lopez-Zacarias and called police while telling him to leave.
Deputies said they found Lopez-Zacarias walking along Southwest 40th Street east of the gas station and detained him.
A second store clerk told investigators she had seen Lopez-Zacarias inside the store before the incident.
She said he was flicking a lighter and saying in Spanish, “Who do I need to light on fire?” before leaving without making a purchase, according to investigators.
Authorities said Lopez-Zacarias was read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators.
He admitted to drinking about eight beers earlier in the day but did not clarify what he was doing at the gas station, the report stated.
As of Friday, Lopez-Zacharias is being held Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond was listed as “to be set.”
