(RepublicanDaily.org) – A Florida man has been arrested for pouring gasoline on another man and then setting him on fire, Fox News reported. A resident of Tampa, Florida, Earl Hargrove Jr., 34, was arrested on Sunday, May 28 for setting fire to a man following an argument. A statement from Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Department explained that the incident happened at a Mobil gas station on 22nd Street, Tampa, Florida, at approximately 4:30 pm local time on May 28.
Hargrove was in a verbal argument with another gas station patron. Following the argument, Hargrove purchased gas at the pump and then proceeded to douse and set fire to the victim, Fox News reported.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister expressed disgust with the situation, commenting in a public media statement that a verbal argument should “never escalate” to the level of violence that was witnessed, Fox News quoted.
An update from Tampa 10 reported that the time of the attack was 4:32 pm local time on May 28, and occurred at the Mobil gas station on Bearss Avenue and 22nd Street. Reportedly, the man who was set on fire was transported to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition. At the time of this report, the man’s condition was stated as “life-threatening.”
At the time of this report, Hargrove remained in custody and was charged with aggravated battery, and attempted murder in the first degree, Tampa 10 reported.
The incident followed reports from Osceola County that a Florida deputy had been charged after a man was “set on fire” by a stun gun in February 2022, NBC News reported. In the Osceola story, a mob of dirt bike riders was pursued by authorities for reckless driving and presenting weapons. Authorities pursued the group and followed the suspect to an area gas station. At the gas station, authorities “tussled” with their suspect. The suspect, who was doused in gasoline at the time, was shot with a stun gun by a Florida deputy, and the spark from the taser resulted in a “fiery explosion,” NBC News reported. The officer is being investigated and charged because it is illegal to fire stun weapons around flammable substances.
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