THIS is the horrifying moment a man walks into the store of a US fuel station before setting it alight with a rubbish bin full of petrol.
The incident, which reportedly took place at the Sunoco petrol station in Detroit, Michigan at around 3am yesterday, left the store in flames and an employee seriously injured.
According to the Detroit Police Department (DPD), an unnamed 35-year-old suspect drove to the station on West 7 Mile Road and filled the rubbish bin with petrol from a pump.
Video captured from a CCTV camera shows the man nonchalantly walking into the business while carrying a large grey bin in his hand.
The man – dressed in a white T-shirt and striped shorts – then proceeds to dump petrol out of the bin all over the floor of the shop.
He quickly puts the bin back outside before facing off with an employee off-camera, seemingly mocking them in a heated exchange.
With a blowtorch in hand, the man then crouches to the fuel in an apparent threat before backing off out of the door.
Fulfilling his threat though, the man then ducks back in, quickly setting the spilled petrol alight and closing the door as flames instantly erupt from the fuel.
The fire quickly begins to spread, with the CCTV camera’s viewpoint quickly consumed by the orange flames that plunge the shop into smoke and chaos.
The 27-year-old employee suffered first-degree burns but managed to get out alive, according to the DPD, who also confirmed the unnamed suspect was arrested shortly afterwards.
The video was shared to social media yesterday by the DPD, who said: “We have arrested the suspect in connection with setting a gas station on fire in the 19300 block of W. 7 Mile Rd.
“The gas station clerk was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated for 1st-degree burns.
The clip has since attracted over 150 likes and dozens of comments from users left praising the cops for their response.
Mel Williams said: “Thank you DPD for getting that lunatic off the street.”
Kirsten Cline wrote: “Good, throw away the key.”
Beverly James commented: “This is a crazy world we [are] living in.”
Linda Burbo added: “Sending Prayers to the injured employee. Great job DPD.”
Detroit Police Chief James White later stated in a press conference: “It is a horrific video.”
“There’s a lot to this case. The motives are totally unclear. But I think we know that this person was not dealing with, you know, their normal state of cognition.
“I mean, there’s something going on with that person.”
The Detroit PD added in a statement: “Thank you to our community members for your continued support and the hardworking officers for keeping our city safe.
“This incident is actively being investigated.
“All suspects are presumed innocent pending further proceedings.”
