IRVING, Texas — A 19-year-old man is facing an arson charge after setting a vehicle on fire outside an Irving shopping center and later telling police he committed the crime because he wanted to be deported.
On Monday, February 23, 2026, an Irving Police officer was dispatched to a suspicious circumstances call at the Fiesta Supermarket parking lot in the 1100 block of West Airport Freeway. A witness reported seeing a young Hispanic male place an object near the gas cap area of a parked vehicle and attempt to ignite it. When the witness yelled at him, the suspect ran from the area.
While speaking with the caller, the officer observed a large cloud of smoke about 100 yards away and immediately responded, discovering a vehicle fully on fire.
A separate witness told officers they had seen a young Hispanic male wearing a black hoodie and black-and-gray pajama pants purchase gasoline inside a nearby 7-Eleven, filling a water bottle before walking toward the area where the fire later started.
Officers responded to the convenience store, where clerks described the same individual and said he appeared to be acting “weird” while filling the bottle with gasoline. Surveillance video reviewed by police showed the suspect matching witness descriptions.
While the officer was reviewing the footage in an office, store employees alerted them that the same individual had returned to the store. The officer detained the suspect, identified as Daniel Guerrero-Ruiz, 19, who was still wearing the clothing described by witnesses. The "pajama pants" described by the witness was really sweat pants. A second officer responded to the scene and the Irving Fire Department (IFD).
After being read his Miranda rights, Guerrero-Ruiz reportedly confessed to lighting the vehicle on fire, telling officers he did so because he wanted to be deported.
Investigators recovered video evidence showing Guerrero-Ruiz igniting the vehicle. IFD arson investigators responded to the scene and assumed responsibility for filing charges.
Guerrero-Ruiz was charged with Arson, a second-degree felony, and an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) hold was placed on him. He was initially booked into the Irving Jail and transferred on February 25th to the Dallas County Jail, where he remains in custody without bond pending further proceedings.
