OAKLAND PARK, FLA. (WSVN) - A man has been arrested after he allegedly tried to set an SUV on fire in Oakland Park.
According to Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies, 25-year-old Christian Villacis stands accused of pouring liquid on the car and driveway of a home, Wednesday.
One neighbor said he smelled gasoline and described what he saw when the man left.
“I walked out into the living room, and a picture in my living room reflects off the window,” he said. “I see an orange haze, and I said, ‘Hey, hey, hey,’ because I knew he had a gallon of something, so I ran out the front, and I look around the corner there, and I see him skateboarding away. Well, I see the fire, and at the time, the flames were 3 to 4 foot.”
It happened near Northeast 11th Avenue and 33rd Street.
In surveillance video, the man could be seen pouring liquid down to the road. About 10 minutes later, a fire sparks, but the fire never reached the vehicle.
The SUV’s owner, who spoke anonymously, said the day’s weather helped stop the flames.
“It was a rainy day, and luckily, the water on the driveway stopped the gas that he poured all over the driveway get into the car,” he said.
The owner added he has never met Villacis prior to the alleged incident.
Villacis was charged with attempted arson. Deputies said he also threatened to kill friends and associates in a WhatsApp group he created.
“I will go ahead and burn [expletive] down and hopefully stab someone,” Broward County Circuit Judge Tabitha Blackmon read off Villacis’ arrest report. “Now, I will kill you. [Expletive] you stupid pieces of [expletive].”
At one point, according to the arrest form, one of the group chat members asked “What is this group that I got put in?”
“And then the defendant allegedly responded, ‘The group to know I’m about to kill people,'” Blackmon said.
On the same day, deputies said Villacis posted a disturbing video to Instagram.
“Where it showed him cutting his forehead, which caused blood to drip down his face and into his mouth,” Blackmon said. “He then looks into the camera and says, ‘So I can kill you [expletive].'”
The 25-year-old’s bond was set at $200,000.
“If he’s able to post bond, pre-trial release level one with a GPS strict house lockdown,” Blackmon said.
The court also ordered Villacis not to make contact with any of the victims.
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