TACOMA, Wash. — A man accused of causing $20,000 in damage in an arson in Tacoma earlier this month was arrested after a witness tipped police to his whereabouts.
Jabari Ahkiel Jones, 31, is expected to be arraigned Thursday for allegedly starting a fire at Freighthouse Square, which houses numerous businesses next to the Tacoma Dome Station, on March 8 at about 4:15 a.m.
The fire was believed to have started in the alley on the side of the building. Surveillance footage showed a suspect in the recess of the building squatting and stacking up wood and garbage found in the area, according to probable cause documents. A few seconds after he walks away, fire ignites.
Within a few minutes, the fire reaches the roofline and the interior of the building.
Sounder train staff and passengers were reportedly inside the building when the fire started, according to probable cause documents.
A witness contacted a Tacoma patrol officer on March 14 and said she recognized the suspect in a Crime Stoppers bulletin released by police. Her surveillance cameras captured a person on video wearing the same clothing that the arson suspect was wearing on surveillance footage from the night of the fire.
After initially fleeing from officers, police found the suspect, who was identified as Jones, on the fourth floor of an apartment building. He was arrested.
When police showed Jones surveillance footage of the fire and asked him why he would start it, Jones said, “I’m down on my luck and too much is going on in my life.”
Police are investigating whether Jones could be responsible for a July 2021 fire where the suspect lit a piece of cardboard on fire and tossed it under the crawl space of a Tacoma business. The suspect returned 30 minutes later and poured liquid on the fire, which caused an explosion and $15,000 worth of damage.
Jones is charged with first-degree arson for the March 8 fire. Investigators say an additional charge could be filed for the 2021 incident.