SAN ANTONIO – A woman is facing an arson charge after San Antonio police say she torched a man’s car just before they both accidentally caught on fire.
Karen Salinas, 45, has been charged with arson of a vehicle causing bodily injury following the incident on May 16, booking records show. She was arrested on Monday.
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A witness told police he saw Salinas “drive recklessly” into the parking lot of a motel in the 2700 block of Roosevelt Avenue just before midnight.
After hitting a red vehicle in the process, Salinas exited her vehicle and began dousing the victim’s car with gas both inside and outside, according to an arrest affidavit.
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The witness confronted Salinas and she told him to “f***** mind your own business” before throwing a lit cigarette into an open window, records state.
As she left the scene, the witness went to the victim’s motel room and told him about the incident.
The victim, 47, went to check on his vehicle as Salinas returned to the parking lot, the affidavit states.
Salinas approached the victim with a lighter in her hand and told him “you want to f*** with me!” the affidavit states.
The victim and Salinas were standing near the car with the windows open. Salinas reached into the car with the lighter to ignite a fire and she was then engulfed in flames.
Police said the flames also engulfed the victim through the car’s open windows.
Both Salinas and the victim were found “badly burned” and were taken to a hospital. Police said Salinas still had a lighter in her hands when medical crews assisted her at the scene.
Arson of a vehicle causing bodily injury is a first-degree felony. Salinas is also facing a driving while intoxicated charge from January, online jail records show.