WASHINGTON — An Upper Marlboro man believed to be a member of a local gang was arrested on arson and attempted murder charges after he was caught on surveillance video setting fire to a town house, which then spread to adjacent homes, court documents said.
Aaron Davis, 28, a known member of the South Side Brim Bloods gang, was caught on home surveillance video earlier this month with what appeared to be a red gas can in his hand, walking toward the rear of a town house on Dunloring Drive in Upper Marlboro, according to court documents.
Moments later, the video shows flames engulfing the home’s back deck and eventually spreading to two adjacent homes. Two residents were inside the home that was set on fire and a third person was home in one of the adjacent units at the time of the midday fire. All three escaped safely, court documents said.
A total of eight adults and one child were displaced as a result of the intentionally set fire and have not been able to return because of the extensive damage, said Mark Brady, spokesman for the Prince George’s County Fire and EMS Department.
Firefighters responded about 12:30 p.m. on April 3 to find all three levels of the home burning and the flames spreading to the neighboring homes, Brady said
“The fire accelerated very quickly, extended up the exterior back wall and eventually into the home,” he said.
Investigators determined the fire was suspicious in nature and an accelerant detection dog was used to identify what investigators suspected was gasoline. However lab tests will determine what was used to start the fire, court documents said.
A witness to the fire told investigators he saw and recognized a man who went by the nickname, “Wolf,” court documents said. Investigators then corroborated that information with the acquaintance and determined Wolf’s real name was Aaron Davis.
Working with the Department of Corrections gang unit, investigators identified Davis as a known member of the Bloods gang and the South Side Brim Bloods, a subset of the larger gang with tentacles that stretch from coast to coast, court documents said.
However court documents don’t state a motive for the set fire and it is not clear what role Davis’ gang ties might have in the case.
“We do anticipate additional arrests in this case,” said Brady. “And we are seeking the community’s help in providing us information — anything to do with this individual that we arrested, his associates.”
Davis faces 33 charges, including first-degree arson, assault and attempted first-degree murder. He was arrested Tuesday after he was tracked down by Baltimore City Police and Prince George’s County detectives.
Two firefighters were injured when they were electrocuted by exposed electrical wires while battling the flames in one of the homes. They were released after being treated at burn center, according to court records.
The fire caused an estimated $320,000 in damage.
