A 34-year-old guy was arrested in Florida over the weekend for reportedly dousing another man in gasoline and setting him on fire after a verbal altercation. Earl Hargrove Jr. was arrested on Sunday and charged with first-degree attempted murder and aggravated violence resulting in serious bodily harm, according to court records examined by Law&Crime.
The victim, whose name has not been released by officials, was in “critical condition” after sustaining “life-threatening injuries” in the fire, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO).
Hargrove and the victim were both at a Mobile gas station in Tampa around 4:32 p.m., according to HCSO. On May 28, they “engaged in a verbal confrontation.”
Following the brief argument, Hargrove allegedly went to one of the gas station pumps and purchased a “small amount of gasoline.”
According to the announcement, “Hargrove then proceeded to pour the gasoline on the victim” and set him on fire. “The victim was taken to Tampa General Hospital (TGH), where he is in critical condition with potentially life-threatening injuries.”
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister slammed Hargrove’s alleged behavior, calling it “deplorable.”
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“A verbal argument should never escalate to this level of violence,” Sheriff Chronister stated. “Not only is this suspect’s behavior deplorable, but it will never be tolerated in our community.” In this situation, the suspect is currently being held in custody as we wait for justice to be done.”
It was unclear whether Hargrove and the victim knew each other before to the attack on Sunday. The sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to a message from Law&Crime requesting more information on the event.
Hargrove was apprehended around 8:30 p.m. He was arrested on Sunday evening and is currently being held at the Falkenburg Road Jail. On Tuesday, he went before 13th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Catherine M. Catlin, who set his bond at $115,000, including $100,000 for the attempted murder allegation and $15,000 for the aggravated violence charge, according to jail records.
Authorities said the investigation into Hargrove is still ongoing and want anyone with knowledge about the case to contact HCSO detectives at 813-247-8200.
Prior to his most recent arrest, Hargrove was accused in 2005 of driving without a license and attempting to dodge or flee from police. That case is still classified as unresolved.
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