Mauro Anderson Rodrigues, 44, of Silver Spring, Md., was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with arson-related offenses. Authorities say he lighted or attempted to light a number of fires in Montgomery County on Dec. 27 and 28.
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Rodrigues was charged by fire/explosive investigators with the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service. After his arrest, he was briefly hospitalized before being taken to central processing. As of Thursday afternoon he was still in custody, according to a spokesman for the fire and rescue service.
The largest of the fires took place at a Sunoco gas station at 8384 Colesville Rd. in Silver Spring on Tuesday morning. Rodrigues poured gasoline from a pump onto the ground and then ignited it, investigators said. Two pumps, another motorist’s vehicle and the store were damaged, causing more than $100,000 in damage. Gas station employees were able to turn off the pumps and escape unharmed.
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On Monday, authorities said Rodrigues ignited two ATMs at a Bank of America at 2601 University Blvd., causing more than $20,000 in damage, and attempted to ignite a Mercedes-Benz on the 10000 block of Tenbrook Drive and a Shell gas station at 9510 Georgia Ave., where he was chased off by station employees.
Rodrigues has been charged with first-degree arson, two counts of second-degree arson, reckless endangerment, first-degree assault, two counts of first-degree malicious burning, second-degree malicious burning, two counts of first-degree malicious destruction of property and two counts of second-degree attempted arson.
Also on Monday, Rodrigues was arrested in D.C. and charged with assaulting a police officer, leaving the scene of a collision, speeding/reckless driving, DUI and fleeing from a law enforcement officer, before being released. It wasn’t immediately clear whether this was before or during the alleged string of arsons in Montgomery County.