Lynnwood family awakened by man allegedly pouring gas on door

LYNNWOOD — The husband woke up to a sound coming from outside the sliding door at the back of the Lynnwood apartment.

He thought it might be someone stealing something off the porch. What he saw when he peered through the blinds was much scarier, according to court papers.

It was a stranger with a red gas can. He was pouring gas on the door.

The husband yelled at the man to go away. He held up his cellphone, warning the intruder he was calling 911.

The man reportedly replied: “Reporting for duty.”

The husband called to his wife to gather their 4-year-old daughter and go to a back room.

Police arrived minutes later at the apartment complex in the 5600 block of 168th Street SW. They arrested the suspect — a Lynnwood man — who allegedly had a book of matches in his hand. They found a nearly empty gas can nearby. The man, 25, was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of attempted arson.

The husband’s brother, who lives in a neighboring apartment, told police he saw the suspect throw a fire extinguisher at the window or sliding door. He said he heard a man he believes to be the suspect say, “he has the right to kill somebody and for someone to close their doors and that they want a female dead,” according to court records. No one understood who “they” were, police wrote.

Officers also found a single match on the ground that appeared to be identical to those in the matchbook.

Firefighters placed absorbent where the gas had been poured.

“It was fortunate we got called and could get there quickly,” said Lynnwood Deputy Police Chief Jim Nelson. “It could have been a very bad situation. There was a potential for loss of life and homes.”

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; stevick@heraldnet.com.

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