Raleigh family business attacked by arsonist
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Wake County business owner Cristina Simms held back tears Tuesday as she looked around her Poole Road business. It looks vastly different than it did than a week ago. There are now several scorched vehicles sitting on her lot. Fire destroyed the business and police have determined it was arson.
"I'm sad," said Simms. "I need to pay bills for university for my daughter. I need pay my house."
Simms and her son, John Arroyo, run Latin Mechanic shop. They've spent the last four years building up the business.
"I just want to cry," said Arroyo. "I lost everything. I have been working too hard for my family to get to a point to where we're happy."
"I live for this, my shop," said Simms.
Someone set the place on fire Sunday around 2 o'clock in the morning. The family says five cars, hundreds of tires, and about $15,000 worth of equipment were destroyed.
They say the place went up in flames after a volatile confrontation with a customer.
"He said he wasn't happy and he was going to deal with me," said Arroya.
The family says they tried to reason with the disgruntled customer and he made threats.
"He told me that he was going to do something to me. He say that he wasn't going to call the police, that he was going to handle this himself," said Arroya.
Mom and son are now worried about their physical safety.
"We're scared now, if they do this to a business," said Arroya.
There have been no arrests. Police say they're actively investigating.
