Fresno man arrested after threats to set girlfriend on fire

A man was arrested Thursday after allegedly dousing himself and his girlfriend with gasoline and threatening to ignite them both, Fresno police said.

Police said Joseph Mendoza, 38, became angry Tuesday after his girlfriend said she wanted to break up. He told her he would hurt her and set the house on fire if she ever left him.

He became enraged and poured gasoline on his body. Mendoza also doused the woman, who uses a wheelchair, with gasoline and then threatened to ignite them both. He went inside to wash the gas out of his eyes after the fumes became too much for him, and the woman’s family came to her aid.

Mendoza left the woman’s home before police could arrest him but was found Thursday by the department’s Domestic Violence Apprehension Team and arrested on suspicion of criminal threats and assault with a caustic chemical, police said.

The woman did not sustain any permanent injuries from the assault, police said.

This story was originally published July 22, 2016 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Fresno man arrested after threats to set girlfriend on fire."