An Arkansas man was arrested on suspicion of trying to blow up a car's gas tank with a lighter near Pentagon

Associated Press

The Pentagon.

• A 19-year-old Arkansas native has been charged with maliciously attempting to destroy a vehicle at the Pentagon on Monday.
• The Justice Department says a police officer witnessed Matthew D. Richardson using a cigarette lighter to ignite a "a piece of fabric" inserted into the gas tank of a vehicle on Monday morning.
• The vehicle belonged to an active-duty service member who did not know Richardson.
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A 19-year-old Arkansas native faces charges of maliciously attempting to destroy a vehicle in a Pentagon parking lot at the Pentagon on Monday morning.

The Justice Department said in a statement that a Pentagon police officer witnessed Matthew D. Richardson using a cigarette lighter to ignite a "a piece of fabric" that was inserted into the gas tank of a vehicle.

The vehicle belonged to an active-duty service member who did not know Richardson.

The Pentagon officer approached Richardson, who then told him he was trying to "blow this vehicle up" with himself. The officer attempted to detain Richardson, who fled and jumped over a fence into Arlington National Cemetery.

He was eventually detained by an emergency response team from the Pentagon near the Arlington House, a memorial dedicated to the Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Officers searched Richardson and found a cigarette lighter, gloves, and court documents related to a previous felony assault arrest made two days prior.

If convicted, Richardson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison.