Police: California suspect lights mom on fire, surrenders


3 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (AP) — A 54-year-old man lit his mother on fire and then locked himself inside a Southern California home for five hours before surrendering to authorities Monday, officials said.

Deputies responding to a domestic violence incident before dawn found the 73-year-old woman suffering from burns in a Rancho Cucamonga neighborhood, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jodi Miller told reporters.

The woman ran from the house after the alleged attack and got help from a neighbor in the city about 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, Miller said.

She was hospitalized in critical but stable condition.

The woman, who was not identified, told investigators her son had been acting erratically and set her on fire, though authorities did not say how.

The suspect periodically shouted at sheriff's deputies during a standoff but he was detained around midday, Miller said.

"He was not compliant," Miller told the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin . The man was taken away in an ambulance.

It was not known if he had any weapons during the standoff.

Miller identified him as Gilbert Banuelos and told the newspaper that he was on probation stemming from a prior case involving resisting a police officer. She did not elaborate.

It was not immediately known if Banuelos has an attorney.

Neighboring homes were evacuated during the standoff and residents were allowed home after the arrest, the Daily Bulletin said.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photos

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

U.S.
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast