Local

Man sets fire to kill himself, woman and child, police say

By Blake Hanson
By Blake Hanson

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Police believe a man intentionally set a fire Tuesday after he choked a woman with whom he was in a relationship in front of her 2-year-old son.

The details revealed in a police report say the suspect choked the 34-year-old woman until she passed out and then hit her multiple times in the face. The incident was reported in the 1300 block of Anderson Street in east Charlotte.

Police believe that after the assault, he intentionally set a fire, causing an explosion.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department charged Arturo Bizarro, 22, for his involvement.

Bizarro was taken to Carolinas Medical Center after the fire and released earlier Wednesday, at which time he was transported to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.

Read our past coverage:

A neighbor who heard the explosion told Eyewitness News that he went outside and saw the woman standing near a window with the house on fire.

"When I got over there she had a window up and the baby was in the window, so I grabbed the baby," said the man, who asked that his name not be used. He went to call 911.

Other neighbors started coming out to help. The woman, who was out safely with the suspect still inside, handed her child to Braxton Winston.

"The child was bloody. He was wrapped in a blanket, and she just said, 'Please help me, (the suspect) is going to kill me,'" Winston said.

Neighbors said firefighters eventually got the suspect out of the burning room. Police said he assaulted an officer on the scene.

Authorities said the woman had serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

WSOC

Most Read