415 Family: August 2009 Archives

Only in Barstow:

A man who was fighting with his girlfriend tried to lure her out of a Barstow gas station bathroom by starting a fire outside the door.

The victim, an Adelanto resident, suffered first- and second-degree burns to her ankles when the flames caught the floor of the bathroom on fire.

Damon Alan Spicer, 35, of Apple Valley received a minor burn to his left arm when the flames ignited his nylon shirt, San Bernardino County sheriff's officials said.

The incident occurred about 4 a.m. Friday at a Shell gas station off the 15 Freeway at Cima Road. The couple was arguing while driving on the freeway, got off the freeway and stopped at the station.

The victim was afraid of Spicer, so she locked herself in the restroom inside the convenience store. Spicer tried to get her out of the bathroom for about 45 minutes.

He then used a flammable substance to start a fire at the base of the door. The store clerk dialed 9-1-1.

Sheriff's deputies arrested Spicer on suspicion of arson and torture. He also had two arrest warrants issued in Riverside County.

Paramedics treated the victim at the scene.