Serial arsonist arrested on charges of starting fire at Target store
A homeless woman with a history of setting Southern Nevada fires has been arrested on charges she tried to burn down a Target store Monday in central Las Vegas.
An arrest report for Angela Marie Russo, 42, indicates Las Vegas police were called to the Target, 3550 S. Rainbow Blvd., at 4:30 p.m. for a fire inside the store. Witnesses said a woman poured lighter fluid on several items in a shopping cart, then set it ablaze in the store’s electronics section. The fire was quickly extinguished by employees. An officer said he arrested Russo at the scene “covered in soot with a black lighter in her hand.”
While walking Russo to his patrol car, the officer said she made a spontaneous statement indicating “she wanted to go to jail and she lit the items on fire to burn the business down.”
“Angela then followed up and said she suffers from voices in her head telling her to start fires and that if she was not sent to prison she would burn something else,” the officer said.
There were no injuries.
Court records show Russo was arrested in 2010 on arson and attempted murder charges in the burning of a home where people were sleeping. She pleaded guilty to second-degree arson and was placed on probation. Court proceedings indicated there were extensive questions about her mental competency.
In December 2011 she was arrested again on arson charges in the burning of an empty apartment on Sandy Lane in Las Vegas. She pleaded guilty to second-degree arson in a case where her competency was questioned again. She was sentenced to 24 to 84 months in prison in District Court.
In July 2017 she was accused of setting another fire in Las Vegas at a convenience store at 1590 N. Lamb Blvd., in Las Vegas. She was found guilty of first-degree arson and sentenced to 24 to 60 months in prison, according to court records.
Russo was expected to make an appearance in Las Vegas Justice Court on Thursday.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
