A man has been arrested on suspicion of starting a fire that damaged a Target store in Arizona worth $5 million.
Mesa Police Department (MPD) officers responded to a call of a fire at the location on June 27. The store was already ablaze when police arrived on the scene, MPD said in a statement. news release. (Related: Woman allegedly set police station on fire with flaming shopping cart)
Just before 10:00 pm on June 27, officers from the Mesa Police Department were called to a Target store near Southern Avenue and Longmore with a fire call. More ⬇️ https://t.co/xM9nnwTyJl
— ABC15 Arizona (@abc15) July 4, 2023
The Mesa Fire Department then arrived on the scene and extinguished the blaze. According to the Metropolitan Police Department, during the investigation, the suspect started two fires in the store, one from the diaper aisle and the other from clothes on the floor, police said.
Authorities have found surveillance footage, which shows the suspect, Daniel Hull, 31, walking through the store with a shopping cart and holding the same clothing that caused the fire, police said. It is said that the state of being taken was reflected.
According to a news release, Hull set his clothes on fire and, as smoke began to fill the store, he made his way to the electronics section and unsuccessfully attempted to break into a cell phone case with a hammer.
Police said the suspect then left the store with other stolen items and fled the scene in a black sedan.
After using surveillance footage to obtain a license plate number, police identified Hal and found:[a]As luck would have it, officers didn’t have to look far to find Hal, and he sat in Mesa Police custody for an unrelated arrest earlier in the day. ‘, according to the press release.
Hull reportedly caused $5 million in damage from burnt merchandise, smoke damage and sprinkler flooding, the MPD release said. Hull has been charged with setting fire to an occupied building, endangering conduct, shoplifting, and criminal damages exceeding $500,000, police said.
