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SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man was charged Friday with stabbing his roommate and then lighting their residence on fire.
Farzad Navid, 22, is charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated arson, a first-degree felony; and aggravated assault resulting in serious injury, a second-degree felony.
On Dec. 2, Navid went into the bedroom of one of his roommates at 375 S. 1000 East, after the roommate had gone to bed, and repeatedly stabbed him with a knife, according to charging documents.
The man was able to take the knife away from Navid, and "then ran downstairs and yelled for his roommates to call the police" and "locked himself in the basement bathroom," the charges state.
While in the bathroom, the man heard something hit the floor and the sound of glass breaking. He opened the door and saw fire, then ran to another bedroom for help.
The man was stabbed more than 10 times, charging documents say.
Another roommate told police that he shut his bedroom door and "propped himself behind his door to keep it shut because he did not have a lock, and as he was standing there flames shot under his bedroom door and into the room. (He) reported that the room immediately filled with smoke, and that he attempted to smother the flames with a blanket but was unable to extinguish the fire. (He) pushed a screen out of the window in his room and crawled to safety," the charges state.
When Navid was found by police, he was taken to a local hospital to be treated for burns to his hands and face before being taken to the Salt Lake County Jail. Investigators learned that he had poured gasoline inside the residence before lighting it on fire, according to the charges.
The man who was stabbed was also taken to a local hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries, according to police. A motive for the assault has not been disclosed.
