Suspect arrested for trying to set Fort Worth hotel clerk on fire
David Sarkisian (Fort Worth PD)
FORT WORTH, Texas - Police have located the man they say tried to set a Fort Worth hotel clerk on fire during a robbery.
David Sarkisian, 48, was arrested late Thursday after police got a tip. Someone reportedly recognized him in the surveillance video that was released to the media.
The video shows the suspect pouring some sort of liquid out on the counter at the Budget Host Inn on Tanacross Drive this past Sunday. Some of the liquid spilled over onto where the clerk was standing.
He apparently claimed he was going to set the clerk and the building on fire if his cash demands weren’t met, according to a hotel representative.
“When the clerk attempted to dial 911, he lit the fire without warning,” said Brad Sims, a Fort Worth Fire Department arson investigator. “It caused a large fire on the desk in the rear of the desk and the rear of the desk where the employee was.”
Fire officials said the clerk did suffer some burns from the fire but will be okay.
"This was a disturbing case of unacceptable violence and thanks to the cooperation and teamwork of the media and the public Fort Worth is now safer today,” said FWFD Chief James Davis.
Arson investigators searched several locations before Sarkisian was arrested.
He’s now being held in the Tarrant County jail for arson causing bodily injury. His bond was set at $100,000.
Sarkisian is also expected to be charged with aggravated robbery, burglary of a motor vehicle and theft.