Halifax Regional Police have charged a 49-year-old man with arson after a car was torched in the parking lot of a Dartmouth business late Monday night.
Officers were called to Terry’s Automotive on Lyle Street around 10 p.m. in response to reports there had been an explosion near the auto-repair shop. Officers arrived on the scene to find an empty car engulfed in flames, said police spokesman Brian Palmeter.
A Metro Transit employee in the area reportedly saw a man running away from the fire, and officers arrested the suspect a short time later. According to Palmeter, he had suffered minor burns and was treated at the scene.
“What we believe was that there was a dispute between the accused and somebody associated with the business,” Palmeter said. “We think that was the motive behind this.”
Employees at Terry’s Automotive had no comment when Metro attempted to speak to them yesterday afternoon. There was no evidence of the fire in the small, fenced-off car lot next to the shop.
Michel Cote was arraigned in Dartmouth provincial court yesterday on one count of arson. Cote has no criminal record, and was released to await his next court appearance on Feb. 19.
