EARLY FRIDAY MORNING A MAN AND HIS (now former-) girlfriend were traveling up I-5 in San Bernardino County, California, when they got into an argument. When they stopped in a convenience store/gas station for a break, the woman locked herself into the public toilet to get away from her angry boyfriend.
After spending 45 minutes trying to coax her out of the bathroom, Damon Alan Spicer, 35, poured some flammable liquid at the base of the door to the bathroom and lit it off. Unfortunately for Damon, the fireburst also lit off his shirt and left him with 2nd-degree burns on his arms.
Meanwhile, the floor of the bathroom started burning (unusual bathroom cleaning practices there, apparently) and the woman inside got 1st- and 2nd-degree burns on her ankles. While this is going on, the vigilant store clerk was dialing 9-1-1 summoning the paramedics and the Highway Patrol.
The man was arrested and charged with torture and arson. It turned out that he also had two outstanding warrants from Riverside County, so he is now in jail under $526,000 bond. The woman was treated on the scene and released. Presumably she also retained possession of the car keys and was able to travel on.
The Desert Dispatch has the STORY.
