Cutler Bay, FL - A man faces attempted murder and arson charges after allegedly starting a fire inside a South Florida Publix supermarket last weekend.
Police say officers were dispatched to the scene of a Cutler Bay Publix on February 17th following reports of smoke coming from the store.
Surveillance footage captured the suspect, identified as 39-year-old Dominick Martinez, entering the Publix shortly before the fire and tampering with flammable items in the charcoal aisle.
Police say the surveillance footage captured a flash in the aisle and a subsequent jump back from Martinez as the fire started.
Luckily, a Publix employee and a customer extinguished the fire before it could spread.
Martinez fled the Publix following the fire, however, police released surveillance images from the incident, and community members identified Martinez, leading to his arrest at a nearby CVS store by Miami-Dade police on Wednesday.
Martinez claimed to have no memory of the events and remained silent during formal questioning.
He is currently being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center while awaiting formal charges.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing.