Photos by Sarah Bennett
UPDATED 9:33PM | In a briefing held on the scene at around 7:30PM, Sgt. Aaron Eaton with the Long Beach Police Department confirmed that there is no indication that the suspect and the victim had any relationship prior to the incident or that the two had exchanged any words before the suspect threw a “flammable liquid” into the victim’s car.
“Right now it appears that this was a random act,” he said. “This is an unsettling crime. It’s a horrific act that somebody would use fire in this manner and the potential for other people to get hurt…is extremely unsettling.”
As to what the “flammable liquid” that was thrown into the car might have been, Eaton says it remains to be seen.
“We’re still trying to put the pieces together. It’ll take some time to get all the information,” he said.
The victim, who witnesses said was a black male, was confirmed as being in critical condition. Police say he was engulfed in flames when he was pulled out of his car by witnesses and contracted burns over much of his torso.
ORIGINAL 6:42PM | The 7-Eleven parking lot on Pacific Coast Highway and Clark Ave. was roped off with police tape Friday afternoon after a man threw flammable liquid into a car with the victim still inside.
A witness at the scene said that at about 5:08PM, he saw the suspect throw something into the drivers-side window of a green Toyota 4Runner parked outside and watched as it burst into flames. The victim, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, was badly burned.
Long Beach Fire Department extinguished the fire and transported the victim to the hospital where his condition is unknown. The suspect fled the scene, but was aprehended by police a few minutes later and taken into custody. Witnesses said they recognized the man who was arrested as a local transient who is often hanging around the 7-Eleven.
The suspect being placed in a police car.
“An assault of some kind occurred and obviously a fire happened as a result,” said Long Beach Police Department Sgt. B. Lee. “We don’t know much more about the circumstances as we are still interviewing witnesses. The investigation is ongoing.”
A white Nissan parked next to the 4Runner was also badly burned in the blaze. There was no one inside that car.
More to come.
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