A man who allegedly lit a Shotwell Street homeless resident’s tent on fire last month was arrested and charged with attempted homicide and arson, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
That Aug. 7 incident led to a man being severely burned after his tent was set ablaze. The encampment at 18th and Shotwell streets, where the tent was set up, incurred other damage as well.
Police officers, on Sept. 5, identified arson suspect Lawrence Harmon at 13th and Folsom streets, and arrested him on one count of attempted homicide, one count of arson to a structure, one count of arson creating bodily injury, and two counts of court order violation.
The booking comes one month after a suspect, purportedly Harmon, argued with an encampment resident named Ippolito, and lit the 25-year-old’s tent on fire while he was inside it. Ippolito suffered severe burns and life-threatening injuries, and was transported to the hospital.
Ippolito’s present-day conditions are unclear, but the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office said in an email that “there is no record of a fire death on 8/7/22,” nor anyone who matched that description under their care.
“It was horrible,” a Gallardo’s employee told Mission Local. She saw the Aug. 7 incident, which occurred just before 9 a.m. Residents near 18th and Shotwell streets that morning recall waking up to sounds of an explosion.
A 27-year-old woman living in Ippolito’s tent helped put out the fire that was burning him, according to the police report and San Francisco Police Department Special Victims Unit investigators.
Witnesses told Mission Local last month that the woman is Ippolito’s wife. After the blaze, the suspect fled.
Other items in the encampment at Shotwell and 18th streets were damaged in the fire, including a motorcycle belonging to Jorge Silba, another encampment resident.
Although Harmon was arrested and charged, the San Francisco Police Department is still searching for more information about the fire. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the text message with SFPD. You may remain anonymous. The SFPD case number is 220525533.
Crime is trauma and the county offers different services, which can be found here. Victims of violent crime can also contact the Trauma Recovery Center at UCSF. The SFPD’s data on crime can be found here.
