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An Indianapolis man was charged with arson a month after allegedly starting a fire on board an IndyGo bus on Meridian and 38th Street, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana.
On April 24, Demarcus McCloud, 45, boarded a bus at the Julia Carson Transit Center on Washington Street.
He was carrying a jug of liquid and two butane lighters.
In the back of the bus, McCloud lit a cigarette under a blanket, threw it onto the floor and lit a piece of paper before extinguishing it, according to police reports.
Moving to another part of the bus, McCloud started pouring liquid from the jug onto the center aisle, leaving it still pouring liquid as he got off the bus at Meridian and 38th Street.
As he approached the bus door, he lit another piece of paper and threw it onto the liquid, igniting the flames.
McCloud then ran from the scene, court documents stated. He was found in a nearby parking lot with the two butane lighters.
One passenger on the bus was taken to the hospital for smoke inhalation.
The fire caused approximately $2.1 million in damage to the bus, and another $25,000 in damage to the station.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating this case. If convicted, McCloud faces up to 40 years in federal prison.
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