An arson attack that caused an estimated $1 million worth of damage has landed a Pompano Beach man in jail, officials said.
David Allen Vazquez, 53, is charged with five counts of arson following several fires at BrandStar Studios, a film and TV production company in Deerfield Beach about 5 a.m. on Aug. 25.
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According to the arrest report, the arson caused damage to the building’s façade, a canopy, a film production van, a refrigerated trailer, a powered lift, and other equipment used for making feature films.
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The studio’s founder and CEO told investigators the van alone was equipped with more than $800,000 worth of film and television technology used to make feature films and TV programs.
"This is definitely a blow to the company," Mark Alfieri told NBC 6.
Detectives reviewed the studio’s surveillance video, and it showed a man gathering what appeared to be cardboard boxes and other trash and placing them under the canopy-covered trailer. Moments later, the video showed flames near the trailer.
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The suspect is seen coming back to the area seemingly to make sure the flames had spread to the van, investigators said.
"We were notified that there was a car in the parking lot that was on fire. And when we got here, we thought, that maybe something had happened, you know, an electrical fire in the truck," Alfieri said. "As we got into the security footage, we realized that this was not an accidental thing, it looked like a deliberate act."
Detectives interviewed film studio employees and one woman remembered chasing off a homeless man who was loitering in the area the day before. He was wearing the same clothing as the man seen in the surveillance video.
Vazquez was identified in a photograph line-up, the report stated.
He was arrested about 12 hours later in The Crossroads business park in the 2200 block of W. Sample Road, just west of BrandStar Studios.
He remains in the Broward County Jail on bonds totaling $75,000, records show.
