A Lauderhill teenager is facing charges after police say he set his family's car on fire, a blaze that swiftly spread to their home, with his father asleep inside. According to Local 10 News, Emmanuel James, 19 was arrested and has been charged with attempted murder and first-degree arson.
Lauderhill Police Department responded to the home on Northwest 5th Street after the fire, which started in the carport, became serious enough around 10:30 p.m. Sunday. Charged with igniting his father's 2014 Volkswagen Tiguan, the aftermath of the fire according to police, required the residence to be condemned due to the damage. Running to escape the flames, James was apprehended at a Plantation gas station, where, according to NBC 6 Miami, surveillance video showed him purchasing the gasoline used in the arson.
The victim, identified as David Filbert James, Emmanuel's father, was reportedly asleep in his bedroom when the fire broke out. Saved from the blaze, he was led outside by officers, stated WSVN 7News. "The victim...was found in his bedroom and escorted out of his home," said the authorities.
While his father escaped harm, the flames inflicted significant damage to the car and parts of the home before extinguishing themselves. NBC 6 Miami reports indicated that a Broward judge has ordered James to stay away from his father and the now-condemned residence. A bond court appearance saw a prosecutor saying that video evidence clearly showed James igniting the conflagration that endangered his father's life.
Peace was upended in this South Florida community, which usually doesn't see such familial strife spill into arson and potential filicide. The motive behind the fire remains shrouded in questions, as Emmanuel James offered no statement to detectives following his arrest. Currently, he is being held without bond at the Broward Main Jail. The case continues to develop, as state attorneys push for pre-trial detention, citing the gravity of James' violent actions.
