A man attempted arson on his wife and a male roommate at their Hollywood home after accusing the two of an affair, police say.
Gustavo Rodriguez, 65, was arrested early Saturday morning and charged with two counts of aggravated battery and one count of arson after setting fire to a mattress in the roommate’s room, according to Hollywood Police.
Officers found Rodriguez at a local hospital being treated for burns he accidentally inflicted on himself.
Police responded to a call about a domestic incident around 6 a.m. in the 5600 block of Raleigh Street in Hollywood, Officer Christian Lata said in an email.
When they arrived, they spoke to two victims — a male roommate and Rodriguez’s wife — who told them that Rodriguez tried to set the house on fire. Police are not identifying them under Marsy’s Law, a constitutional amendment that allows crime victims to shield their names and personal information from the public.
Rodriguez had accused his wife of having an affair with the roommate, Lata said, then tried to light a mattress on fire in the roommate’s room while he was sleeping.
Lata said it appeared that Rodriguez also shared the home with his wife and the roommate but could not confirm. Rodriguez owns a house at the same address, property records show.
The wife and roommate managed to escape the home without injuries, but Rodriguez did not. Police later found him at a nearby hospital where he was getting treated for burns and arrested him.
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