Charlotte man charged with setting dangerous fires has past record

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A Charlotte man is accused of setting three fires in public places on Wednesday morning.

The first two fires were in a crowded Central Piedmont Community College building in Elizabeth and the third was in a busy restaurant in NoDa.

Four hours after police said Joshua Armstrong set the first two fires at CPCC, Amelie's French Bakery in NoDa said he started a fire in their bathroom.

The bakery said he lit paper towels on fire in a trash can, similar to what happened at CPCC.

"That pretty much gives that he's just out here to hurt people," student Spencer Lilly said.

Armstrong is a student in CPCC's Basic Skills Program.

The fires put dozens of people in danger and caused at least $10,000 in damage.

"A lot of people could've gotten hurt. There were a lot of people out here [Wednesday] and a lot of people go in there every day to get various services," said Lilly.

Officers told Channel 9 the 20-year-old put even more people in danger several hours later when he started the third fire in Amelie's Bakery.

"We are innocent people and he's doing these fires," said student Na Nahe.

Channel 9 dug through court records and discovered Armstrong was first charged with arson in September 2016.

Police said he set a house on fire near Sugar Creek Road in north Charlotte.

Neighbors told Channel 9 it was a serious fire that damaged the home and hurt the woman who lived there.

Armstrong likely would've been locked up for years if he had been convicted.

Instead, the district attorney's office dismissed the case because they said there wasn't enough evidence.

"You should be behind bars if you commit arson. There shouldn't be any ifs, ands, or buts about it," said Lilly.

Channel 9 continues to ask police if they have answered the key question of why these fires were set.

We are also asking investigators how they were able to track Armstrong down.

Armstrong’s first court appearance was Thursday afternoon.

Cox Media Group