A man who set a pump on fire at a Miami gas station and set a car on fire at a dealership is facing arson and attempted murder charges, police said. NBC 6’s Willard Shepard reports.
A man who set a pump on fire at a Miami gas station and was caught on camera setting a car on fire at a dealership is facing arson and attempted murder charges, police said.
Amos Servants, 45, was arrested Sunday on attempted felony murder, first-degree arson, and second-degree arson in connection with two separate fires, officials said.
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The first incident happened on Nov. 24 at RPM Miami, a car dealership at 2990 Northwest 27th Avenue.
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Authorities responded and found a 2020 Honda accord had been intentionally set on fire by a man who was caught on surveillance camera.
The footage showed the man, later identified as Servants, walking on the sidewalk along the business and throwing a clear ignitable liquid on the car before igniting it, an arrest report said.
The vehicle, worth around $25,000, was a total loss.
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The second incident happened on Dec. 12 at a Chevron gas station at 4100 Northwest 27th Avenue.
Servants, who is homeless, had been standing outside the gas station asking people for money when an employee asked him to leave, an arrest report said.
When Servants refused to leave the employee went back inside and grabbed an aluminum extention pole and a glass of water, and again told Servants to leave or he'd call the police, the report said.
The employee said Servants became "extremely irate" and when Servants started to approach, the employee splashed Servants with the water, the report said.
Servants stormed off but minutes later he returned and lit one of the gas pumps on fire, the report said.
Employees were able to hit the emergency shut off switch and the fire was out by the time police and fire rescue arrived at the scene.
The fire caused about $1,000 in damage to the gas pump.
The gas station employee had recognized Servants from a prior trespassing incident from May, the report said.
Servants was booked into jail, where he remained held Monday on $27,500 bond, records showed. Attorney information wasn't available.
"You allegedly told the police that you use alcohol instead of gasoline because it sends a message but doesn’t cause that much damage," Miami-Dade Bond Court Judge Victoria Sigler said during Servants' court appearance Monday.
