A homeless Florida woman doused a gas station clerk with gasoline and set her on fire after the victim told her not to panhandle outside the station, according to police.
The 30-year-old homeless woman, Betty Jean McFadden, was arrested on Wednesday for the cruel attack at the Circle K gas station in Pensacola. She is facing a charge of attempted murder.
The assailant gently left when she was told to, but came back around 1 p.m. holding a gas can full of fuel, which she used to attack the female clerk by dousing her with fuel, throwing matches at her, and setting her on fire, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office.
A fellow gas station worker was partially burned while trying to help the victim on fire. After the attack, Mcfadden calmly walked out of the gas station and was apprehended a few blocks away.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim and her family,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said in a statement. “This is a senseless and practically indescribable act of cruelty.”
McFadden faces a charge of attempted murder and is currently being held without bail. She is listed as homeless in jail records
The unidentified female victim reportedly suffered horrific burns and was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. She reportedly ran and sought help after being set on fire.
Nearby bystanders who witnessed the grisly attack used clothing and water inside the gas station to put out the fire. The second clerk was also transported to the hospital in stable condition. According to WKRG, the attacker didn’t say anything when she was told to leave the gas station.
