A South Florida man is facing charges of first-degree arson Tuesday for allegedly setting fire to a portable toilet at a gas station in northwest Miami-Dade.
Luis Medina Perez, 29, of Miami, was arrested Monday in connection with the May 24 arson at a Mobil gas station at 1634 NW 119th Street.
The gas station's cashier told police she saw something burnt and thrown on the ground and wondered what it was. A witness ran inside the gas station to get a fire extinguisher and put out the fire before it spread.
Police say Medina Perez was seen on surveillance video coming out of the port-a-potty moments before it was engulfed in flames.
Police officers noted in their police report that at the time of the fire, the gas station was occupied by several customers and employees, putting everyone at risk of serious bodily injury or death.
On Monday police officers spotted the defendant down the street from the gas station and with a lighter in his hand.
A judge in bond court Tuesday set a total bond of $8,500 for Medina Perez and also gave him a stay way order from the gas station. He was represented by a public defender in court.
