Apparently irate from a pricing dispute with Metro Ford in North Miami, FL, a man drove his new SUV into the dealership, doused it and other vehicles with gasoline and set them on fire.
Flames spread throughout the dealership, destroying cars, computers and the like. Total damage is an estimated million dollars.
Eleven vehicles were destroyed, including the perpetrator's. Also damaged: a limited-edition Ford GT, one of just 250 produced.
Gerald Georgettis is charged with first-degree arson. Because of that, he quit his job as a performance-arts theatre manager for the City of Miami. He is out on bond. He asked for quick payment of his job severance pay to cover attorney fees.
He told police he was upset with the dealership because he claims he was told one price for the SUV, but later looked at the paperwork, and the price was higher.
Witnesses watched him drive into the building, splash around the gasoline and start the fire. Denise Cruz was in line at the body shop, standing near Georgettis, when he lit a match.
“And the next thing you heard was boom, and you saw flames all over the place,” she told the local media. “I said to him, ‘Sir, why would you want to do that?’”As the fire burned, Georgettis walked down the street. Officers who approached him say he yelled, “Kill me, Kill me.” They arrested him without incident.
