Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, a woman casually walked into a Texas convenience store and asked to use the restroom. However, unbeknownst to her, a thug, Robert Thompson, had already bound and gagged the clerk with duct tape behind the counter. Yes, the customer had interrupted a robbery in progress. The customer wound up in the same position as the clerk, restrained and helpless behind the counter. What happened next is truly horrifying.
Man Arrested, Accused of Setting Customer on Fire During Convenience Store Robbery
A man [sic] is under arrest in Palestine, Texas after police said he set a woman on fire during a convenience store robbery.
Investigators said Robert Thompson walked into the Pitts Stop on the 1200 block of Link Street on Thursday and ordered two women, a clerk and a customer, to sit on the floor. Police said Thompson then bound the women with duct tape and doused them with lighter fluid before setting the customer on fire.
Linda Camire was the clerk working at the time.
“He started taping me up everywhere and said as long as I was quiet and didn’t speak I’d be fine,” said Camire.
She said her eyes were covered, so she could only hear what was happening as Thompson sprayed the women.
“I was praying the whole time that he would help me, save me, that’s what I did,” said Camire.
I’m almost positive that the “he” in that sentence should be capitalized. There was no one else in the store and she clearly couldn’t have been referring to the monster Thompson. But this is a “Bay Area” news source reporting it. They probably didn’t want to offend the majority of their liberal viewers.
The customer suffered burns to her head, face and neck and was transported to Palestine Regional Medical Center before being moved to the burn unit at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas. The clerk was not injured in the attack.
Later that afternoon, after reviewing surveillance video from the convenience store, Palestine, Texas, police located Thompson at a different convenience store and placed him under arrest.
Thompson was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and aggravated robbery and is being held on $4 million bond.
The video, released by police, shows the women bound up on the floor and a man spraying lighter fluid over their bodies and along the counter and the walls and of the store. The man is then seen lighting the fluid.
See for yourselves.
“I am proud of our officers and detectives who worked non-stop and seamlessly to get a violent offender off of our streets. A special thank-you to our local law enforcement partners including DPS and our Constable Muniz, Precinct 4.” Chief Andy Harvey, Palestine Police Department.
Officials have not said if Thompson will face any other charges in the case.
Oh, hell. I could come up with a couple more. How about attempted arson for starters? He clearly sprayed lighter fluid on the floor and the back shelves as well as his hostages. He only ignited the customer after a failed attempt to start the fire on the floor. And what about that? Dousing someone in lighter fluid only yields an aggravated assault charge? That’s attempted murder in my book. Come on guys, this thug should be charged with a hell of a lot more than what you gave him and an execution would be nice reward for him.
Fortunately, the customer Thompson wanted to turn into a human torch was released from the hospital later that night and seems to be in good condition.
