Argument in the lobby ends in the burning of a parking lot in Bat Yam: "I was nervous"
A Bat Yam resident is accused of setting fire to the door of a bicycle room in a residential building's parking lot after getting into an argument with a passerby in the lobby. According to the indictment, the fire was set about ten meters away from the building's gas room. The suspect fled the scene on his electric bicycle and smashed his phone before his arrest.
An indictment was filed in the Tel Aviv District Court against Tamir Nagusa for the offenses of arson, malicious damage, and obstruction of justice. According to the indictment, Nagusa set fire to the door of a bicycle room in the parking lot of a residential building in Bat Yam following an argument, and fled the scene.
The incident began about two weeks ago, when the defendant parked his electric bicycle at the entrance to the lobby of a building on Herzl Street in the city. An argument developed there between him and a woman who was leading a wheelchair into the building. Afterwards, the defendant approached the building's bicycle room, which was locked, and called a friend who arrived equipped with a wooden stick. The two tried for several minutes to break the door using the stick and by pulling the handle. When this did not succeed, the defendant broke the door handle and damaged the locking mechanism. When this attempt also failed, the two left the scene.
According to the indictment, the defendant later returned to the parking lot with his friend, carrying a bag containing a 1.5-liter bottle of gasoline. He poured the contents of the bottle onto the door of the bicycle room and the adjacent floor. Although his friend tried to dissuade him from his actions and distance him from the place, the defendant pushed him and ignited the gasoline-soaked floor with a lighter, while the friend was standing on it. The fire began to catch on the door and the floor, and even reached the legs of the friend, who was forced to flee from the flames. Immediately afterwards, the defendant fled the scene riding his electric bicycle.
At the time of the fire, five vehicles and a motorcycle were parked in the parking lot. The center of the fire was located only ten meters away from the building's gas room, where eight gas canisters weighing 48 kilograms each were stored. It was the defendant's friend who extinguished the fire using the building's fire hose. As a result of the fire, damage was caused, including soot marks on the door, the door frame, the ceiling, and the walls.
In addition, the prosecution attributes to the defendant the offense of obstruction of justice. The following morning, before his arrest, the defendant smashed his mobile phone. In his interrogation, he admitted to the arson and breaking the phone, and claimed that he acted out of nervousness. Parallel to the filing of the indictment, the prosecution requested the extension of his detention until the end of the proceedings.
