An Aurora man suspected of beginning a five-alarm hearth in {a partially} constructed residence advanced on Leetsdale Drive in Denver was seen filling a container with gasoline roughly one hour earlier than he walked onto the development web site, investigators wrote in an arrest affidavit.
Tony Becerra, 38, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of three counts of arson for beginning a fireplace that destroyed the Harker Heights residence advanced in Denver’s Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood on Jan. 2.
Whereas the trigger and origin of the hearth are nonetheless below investigation, investigators used each city-owned and personal surveillance cameras to establish Becerra and observe his actions for greater than two hours each earlier than and after the hearth began, a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives particular agent wrote within the affidavit.
Denver Fireplace Division and federal investigators obtained video that confirmed somebody leaving the development web site within the 5300 block of Leetsdale Drive by a west gate at 6:34 p.m., about 10 minutes earlier than the primary 911 name got here in a couple of hearth on the residence advanced.
From there, numerous cameras caught the person — wearing black pants, a black shirt, a black masks and white undershirt and carrying a black bag — briefly sitting on a bench close to Leetsdale and Holly Avenue as smoke began rising from the constructing.
Investigators then tracked him strolling eastbound on Leetsdale for a couple of mile earlier than strolling into an Indian restaurant and going into the toilet to vary garments.
Regulation enforcement first noticed the person’s face as he walked out of the restaurant, they usually used two totally different facial recognition packages to establish him as Becerra, in keeping with the affidavit. He then took a Regional Transportation District bus and lightweight rail again to Aurora, getting off on the Florida station simply earlier than 8 p.m.
Investigators once more used surveillance video to comply with Becerra’s actions earlier than the hearth began, backtracking from the scene to seek out him at a fuel station close to East Colfax Avenue and Yosemite Avenue in Aurora at 5:24 p.m.
The station is close to a transitional housing facility that Becerra listed as his tackle on his driver’s license.
Surveillance video confirmed Becerra placing a black bag on the bottom close to a fuel pump and filling up one thing contained in the bag earlier than leaving the world, in keeping with the affidavit.
From there, Becerra took an RTD bus to eighth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard and walked south on Colorado to Leetsdale Drive, the place he walked into the Harker Heights building web site at 6:30 p.m.
The affidavit didn’t present any further particulars a couple of doable connection between Becerra and the residence advanced. Managers with the development and safety corporations on the Harker Heights venture didn’t know who he was, investigators wrote.
Becerra appeared in court docket on Thursday morning, the place a decide set a bail of $50,000 for money, surety or property or $5,000 money, in keeping with the Denver District Lawyer’s Workplace.
His subsequent court docket date was not obtainable Thursday night time.
Signal as much as get crime information despatched straight to your inbox every day.