MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – Police arrested a 44-year-old man Tuesday who they said attempted to light a business on fire in northwest Miami-Dade.
According to his arrest report, Roosevelt Cayo, of Miami, was observed by a witness breaking the front glass door of a business located near the 1200 block of Northwest 79th Street, just after 2:30 a.m.
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Miami-Dade police said two other witnesses saw Cayo pouring gasoline by the front door and starting a fire both outside and inside the business.
Cayo’s arrest report stated that shortly after starting both fires, he fled across the street to the Exxon gas station at 1176 NW 79th St.
One witness who was standing across the street north of the gas station heard glass breaking and observed Cayo breaking the business’s front glass door while wearing a bright yellow ski mask, the report stated.
Moments later, the witness confronted Cayo at the gas station where they took a red gas can from him and maintained visual contact until police arrived, according to investigators.
Police said Miami-Dade Fire Rescue confirmed the fire was extinguished upon their arrival.
According to the report, there was shattered glass at the business’s entrance, fire damage to a purple curtain and residue of an unknown liquid on the floor inside the front door. No heat sources or electrical devices were found near the fire’s origin, indicating “human intervention,” the report stated.
Police said Cayo was in possession of a lighter and the yellow ski mask when he was arrested.
When approached by investigators, Cayo became hostile, claiming affiliation with the “Islam Nation” and discussing religious matters before refusing further conversation, according to the report.
After being detained and placed inside a police patrol car, police said Cayo screamed racial slurs and kicked the vehicle’s interior and windows.
Jail records show he is facing one count each of first-degree arson, burglary of an unoccupied dwelling and criminal mischief.
As of Wednesday, Cayo was being held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, where his bond has not been determined.