Phoenix man on meth accused in PetSmart arson, police say
PHOENIX - A Phoenix man was arrested in a bizarre arson case at a PetSmart on Monday.
Investigators say Richard Gutierrez Jr. went into a Petsmart location near 31st Avenue and Peoria and used a lighter to set two large bags of dog food on fire.
Store employees reportedly smelled the burning merchandise and put the fire out before it could spread.
Surveillance video allegedly showed Gutierrez attempting to go to a different aisle to set more products on fire before walking out of the store.
Investigators arrested him at his apartment a few hours later, and the suspect reportedly confessed to doing meth at the time.
"Investigators were originally in the area conducting investigative follow-up due to dozens of fires in the area involving dumpsters, vehicles, apartment patio and debris fires," court documents read.
Police said Gutierrez is a suspect in an unrelated arson as well.