Southwest Detroit barbershop fire bombing caught on camera

DETROIT (WJBK) - A Detroit barbershop was broken into a few months ago but the owner never imagined that someone would try to set it on fire - until he saw it with his own eyes.

It was all caught on camera as a maroon Dodge or Chrysler minivan can be seen pulling up on Senator Street just off of Springwells.

A man walked out, throws a brick through the window and pours an accelerant inside. Then he tries to set the building on fire.

"The damage was already done when I got here," said Roberto Coronado. "It happened in a matter of like 10 minutes."

The flames went up at the Corte Tropical barbershop in southwest Detroit just after midnight Wednesday. Thankfully no one was inside when it happened.

The barbershop's owner, Coronado, got word of the firebombing with a phone call.

"I got a call from my alarm company saying one of the alarms went off and I looked at my camera in my phone," he said. "And (there) was a fire in the barbershop."

Coronado called 911 then drove to the barbershop where Detroit firefighters had already put out the flames and kept the damage at a minimum. Firefighters also kept the fire from spreading to apartments being renovated upstairs.

FOX 2: "Why would someone do this?"

"That's the question I still have," he said. "I'm still lost right now. I don't know. I really don't know why."

The Detroit Police Department is investigating this clear case of arson and Coronado is banking on the video to crack the case.

"Hopefully they can catch them," he said. "That's all we hope for, get them off the streets."

And the barbershop's owner says hats off to the Detroit firefighters who responded quickly and kept this fire from spreading.

If you recognized that minivan in the video or have any information about what happened there Wednesday please call Detroit police at (313) 596-5200.