Florida Man With Flaming Propane Tank Lights Restaurant Ablaze, Police Video Shows

Authorities arrested a Florida man for arson after video showed him setting a Tampa business ablaze Wednesday.

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Authorities arrived on at the restaurant at 8:45 a.m., after a call for a reported assault or battery. Deputies found suspect Rubiel Macero Castillo, using a propane tank as flame thrower, according to the Hillsborough Country Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook post.

Castillo, 53, was arrested when exiting the restaurant, video in the post shows.

Police work the scene of a shooting near the student union at Florida State University on April 17, 2025 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images)

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

“When deputies arrived, they found the business filled with smoke and flames, while a propane tank outside the building was also on fire,” the sheriff’s office shared in the post.

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On arrival, officers found a propane tank a lit in the center of the restaurant, while Castillo dropped weapons and exited the restaurant.

“Working alongside HCFR [Hillsborough County Fire Rescue], deputies extinguished the fire and arrested Castillo. He faces multiple charges, including Arson First-Degree Occupied Structure,” the office’s post concluded.

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