OXON HILL, Md. (AP) - Police in Maryland arrested a man accused of dousing a convenience store worker with a burning liquid and stealing cigarettes.
Raymond Williams, 25, of Washington, D.C., approached the convenience store counter early Saturday morning with a cup in his hand, Prince George’s County police said in a news release.
The cup contained a liquid that smelled of gasoline, police said. Williams is accused of asking the clerk for cigarettes, starting a fire in the cup while the clerk had his back turned, and then dousing the clerk with the burning liquid when he turned back around.
Williams then jumped over the counter, stole about 20 packs of cigarettes and ran, police said. A witness called 911.
Police later captured Williams in the area. Stolen cigarettes were recovered from his bag, police said.
The clerk was taken to a hospital to be treated for critical burns, the release stated.
Williams was charged with attempted murder, first-degree arson and other counts. He was being held without bond. It’s unclear whether he had an attorney who could speak for him.
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