By admin 
SURPRISE, AZ (AZFamily) — A 19-year-old man is facing federal charges after prosecutors say he tried to set fire to a building owned by the Department of Homeland Security in Surprise earlier this year.
Gabriel Mendoza-Acoltzi of Avondale was arrested May 7 following a federal grand jury indictment. He’s charged with malicious damage to federal property and willful depredation against property of the United States.
The incident happened just after 1 a.m. on February 21. Prosecutors say Mendoza-Acoltzi broke a window at the ICE building in Surprise and tried to set it on fire.
If convicted, he faces five to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and one to three years of supervised release.
Alleged arsonist caught on camera
According to court documents, surveillance cameras captured Mendoza-Acoltzi’s Honda Civic pulling into the parking lot around midnight. The video reportedly shows him getting out of his car and placing a propane tank next to the building.
Later footage shows him swinging the propane tank at a window and breaking the glass, documents say. Prosecutors say he then used a long torch connected to the tank to set the window shades inside the lobby on fire.
When investigators arrived, they found an anti-ICE message spelled out with landscaping rocks on the sidewalk.
While in custody, Mendoza-Acoltzi waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators.
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He allegedly admitted to setting fire to the building, saying he “did it out of protest.” Investigators said Mendoza-Acoltzi also admitted he knew that DHS had recently purchased the building and he wanted to stop DHS from “hurting his people.”
According to federal documents, Mendoza-Acoltzi said he decided one night to “go be Batman.” He also told investigators he planned to shut off the water main in an attempt to disarm the sprinkler system.
Federal officials said at this point, ICE has paid over $40,000 in repairs with a total repair quote of over $400,000.
If convicted, Mendoza-Acoltzi faces five to 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and one to three years of supervised release.
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