STATESVILLE, N.C. — Four patrol cars were set on fire Monday night in Statesville, according to authorities. It happened around 9:50 p.m. outside the 7-Eleven on Turnersburg Highway.
The off-duty officers were inside the convenience door when a bystander told them their vehicles were on fire. The troopers were able to put out the vehicle fires with fire extinguishers. In total, four patrol cars were damaged, three of which were not drivable and had to be towed away from the 7-Eleven.
The person who alerted the officers to the vehicles on fire was able to describe a suspect they saw to the officers. One of the officers recognized the person the witness described in the nearby area and took the 49-year-old man into custody.
The Statesville Police Department is handling the investigation and the pending charges for the suspect.
Statesville Police said the department believes this fire was set intentionally as a targeted act at law enforcement in general, not these troopers specifically.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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