Kid Torched Home Over Bicycle Dispute, Cops Say

When a 10-year-old Pinellas Park boy was told by another child he couldn’t borrow his bicycle, it seems the thwarted youngster decided to get even.

According to the Pinellas Park Police Department, the boy returned to his friend’s apartment at 7450 35th St. N., just before 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and proceeded to pour gasoline on the front door and door mat. The child, police wrote in an email to media, then knocked on the door and ignited the gas.

A 43-year-old mother and her young son were the only ones in the apartment at the time, the police department wrote in an email to media. The mother spotted the flames through the door’s peephole and called for help before removing herself and her son from the apartment.

When Pinellas Park Fire crews arrived to put out the flames, they realized the blaze was no accident and called in police, the email said. That’s when officers learned about the bicycle request.

Officers say the 10-year-old admitted to setting the fire when he was questioned. The fire department’s accelerant detection canine also confirmed the presence of a flammable liquid on the boy’s person, the email said.

The boy, who is not being identified because of his age, has been charged with arson, police said.

Damage to the home was limited to the front door area, police said. No injuries were reported.

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