A man has been convicted of arson after setting several cars ablaze at a Santa Monica dealership in 2014.
Tyrone Murphy, 61, was convicted last week of felony arson of property of another for "willfully" and "maliciously" setting fire to cars at the display lot of a Santa Monica BMW dealership on Sept. 10, 2014, court documents show.
Murphy destroyed four used cars and damaged a fifth when he doused them with gasoline and set them on fire. One witness, Eliza McMillan, said at the time she saw Murphy use a "bomb-type thing" to set the cars ablaze.
"He doused all of the front vehicles," McMillan said. "He looked back to make sure it was lit up, then he started running down the street."
Surveillance images showed Murphy purchasing $4 in gas and storing it in a red can at a station just blocks away from the dealership. McMillan's daughter told NBC4 the fire was "explosive" and it "started shooting like fireworks."
Murphy has also has a prior felony arson conviction from 1991. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 11, said Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office spokesman Ricardo Santiago.
