Police: South Daytona Man Sets Fire To Neighbor's Car After Yelling Racial Slurs

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South Daytona, FL - A man in South Daytona is arrested after police say he set fire to his neighbor's car and yelled racial slurs at the neighbor. Police were called to an apartment complex at 1910 S. Palmetto Avenue in South Daytona early Sunday morning after reports of a vehicle fire. They found one resident's 2002 Mercury four-door was in flames. The resident said that his neighbor, 56-year-old Joseph Minor, had started an argument with him earlier in the evening. He said Minor used some racial slurs and made threats against him, according to arrest reports. One neighbor reported seeing the victim's car on fire just after midnight on Sunday, and the victim's girlfriend told police that Minor had previously threatened to blow up the victim's car. The girlfriend also told police that Minor "does not like black people" and that Minor continually uses derogatory racial terms to refer to her and her boyfriend. One witness said she saw Minor walking back from the area of the car while it was on fire. When police questioned minor, he was drunk, and he claimed to be sleeping around the time of the fire, according to arrest reports. The total damage to the Mercury was estimated at $5,000. Minor was taken into custody, and he is charged with arson and criminal mischief with property damage of $1,000 or more. Minor's mugshot courtesy Volusia County Jail.
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