Update: Fort Worth police on Friday announced an arrest in the case. Click here to read the latest update. The original article is below.
Fort Worth arson investigators are looking for the man they say walked into a hotel lobby and set the clerk on fire Sunday night.
Investigators shared surveillance video from the hotel on the 3700 block of Tanacross Drive and said it showed a man walk into the hotel and threaten to burn the clerk alive if he didn't turn over the cash.
The man then squirted a liquid through a small hole in the office's protective glass, covering the front desk, floor and splashing on the clerk.
Moments later, after the clerk picked up the telephone, the man then used a cigarette lighter to ignite the liquid which quickly spread and burned the clerk as he backed away from the desk.
The clerk suffered minor injuries and is expected to be OK.
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According to hotel management, that declined to talk with NBC 5 on-camera, the suspect had demanded the hotel guest list before lighting the fire.
The man, who has not been identified, then ran out the front door. He was recorded on parking lot cameras getting into a white 4-door car, believed to be a Honda Accord with a sunroof and rear spoiler.
Mike Drivdahl, a spokesman for the Fort Worth Fire Department, posted a video on the department's Facebook page Tuesday morning describing the crime as "absolutely horrific" while asking for the public's help in identifying the man in the video.
The suspect is believed to be a white man. He was seen wearing a teal T-shirt, which he covered with a pink shirt during the attempted robbery.
Detectives with the Fort Worth Fire Department's Arson and Bomb unit are investigating the arson and are asking for help identifying the man in the video. Fort Worth police, meanwhile, are investigating the attempted aggravated robbery. Anyone with information about the man's identity is asked to call 817-469-TIPS or Lt. James Horton, with the Fort Worth Fire Department, at 817-929-8735.
