Stockton police on Friday identified a man they say entered a San Joaquin County Probation Department office with a gas can and lighter before setting a probation officer on fire.
Adam Lopez, 39, will be charged with attempted murder and arson, said Stockton Officer Omer Edhah, a police spokesperson. Lopez was on probation for firearms violations and had been arrested for property crimes in the past, Edhah said.
Authorities say Lopez walked into the Probation Department offices in Stockton about 2:10 p.m. Thursday, armed with a gas can and a lighter. A security guard activated an “emergency alert,” which signaled probation officers to converge on the area.
Lopez then fled to a parking lot near south San Joaquin and east Lafayette streets, according to a police report. A scuffle broke out as officers tried to take the man back into custody. During the melee, authorities said Lopez managed to set one of the officers on fire.
The fire was extinguished, but not before the officer sustained burns serious enough to warrant a transfer from a local hospital to the UC Davis Medical Center for treatment. A county spokesperson said any information about the officer or the case would need to come from the investigating agency, the Stockton Police Department. Edhah said the officer’s identity is not being released at this time.
Lopez was captured, handcuffed and also sent to a local hospital for injuries received during the incident, according to police.
“The swift, prompt, and brave actions of the probation officers on scene stopped a threat to the community and potentially saved lives of surrounding people in the area,” police said in a statement.
No motive for the attack has yet been established, authorities said.