Man accused of starting fire at his Rock Hill apartment

ROCK HILL, S.C. (WBTV) - On Monday, officers of the Rock Hill Police Department said they responded to a call of a man who was acting disorderly on Flintwood Drive.

Prior to getting to the scene, police were told the man busted out the back window of a neighbor’s pickup truck.

The owner of that truck, Thomas Koenig, said typically he would see the man sitting outside.

“He usually would just sit out front. He has a cat. I have a dog. We’d just say hi,” said Koenig.

Koenig said Monday evening he and his wife were at their home watching a high school baseball game online when they heard a loud noise coming from outside.

“And I looked out the window, and I saw the guy across the street. He was stark naked and he was walking towards his house and he had a stick, so I came out to see what he did to my truck, ‘cause that’s where he was walking away from,” Koenig said.

After seeing the damage to his truck, Koenig said he told his wife to contact the police. Once officers arrived, that’s when Koenig says things took a turn.

“Unfortunately it got ugly after that. He barricaded himself in and I just heard them kept saying ' Don’t light that, don’t light that.’ The next thing you know he lit something on fire in the house. They opened the door and smoke was coming out,” said Koenig.

A press release shared with WBTV states that Rock Hill officers determined the man was having a crisis.

The release also states that the man poured gasoline on himself and several items in his apartment. After lighting the items on fire, the man then ran upstairs.

Members of the Rock Hill Fire Department extinguished the fire on the first floor, while officers were able to speak to the man and take him into custody for safety.

Rock Hill Police said the man was transported to Piedmont Medical Center for a mental health evaluation. A citation was issued for the damage done to the windshield.

Koenig said he’s looking back on the incident now with some compassion. He also shared his gratitude for the first responders on the scene helping to de-escalate his own temper after seeing the damage to his truck.

“I never seen anyone picking on him or anything, but when he changed it was just that flip. When you see somebody like that you just be nice and have a conversation if that presents itself. Show them that people are supposed to care about each other,” said Koenig.

Officials said the identity of the male will remain confidential.

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