Police say a man who intentionally set fire to a homeless encampment in Glendale and then took photos of the inferno, has been charged with attempted murder, Glendale police said in a release about the incident.
Richard Smallets, 32, was arrested by Glendale police and is scheduled to make a court appearance on Wednesday on attempted murder charges.
The incident was first reported around 1:20 a.m. on the night of Sept. 12. According to a release from Glendale police, a homeless man had been sleeping under some cardboard boxes when the smell of smoke woke him up. That's when he realized the cardboard had been set on fire and tried using bottled water to put it out, but was unable to do so. Glendale firefighters responding to the incident were able to quickly douse the flames.
Detectives conducting an investigation into the incident reviewed surveillance video from the night and discovered a man had intentionally set the cardboard on fire, and then took photos of the flames, police said. Investigators questioned Smallets in connection with the crime and arrested him the next day.
A motive for the crime has not been released.
Smallet was charged with suspicion of attempted murder and was remanded to custody on a $1 million bail. He made an initial court appearance on Sept. 16 where he pleaded 'not guilty' and appeared in court again on Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing, court records showed.
Photos: Glendale Police Department.