Deputies with the Tampa Police Department (TPD) have arrested a man on animal cruelty charges after admitting to killing his dog by setting it on fire in a business's parking lot.
According to the March 24 press release, officers responded to the 700 block of W. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard on Sunday, March 23, 2025, after receiving a report of a fire in the parking lot.
Witnesses had also reported seeing a white male suspect, later identified as 43-year-old Jason Larson, starting the parking lot fire before fleeing the scene. After the flames were extinguished, responding officers were met with the sad sight of a deceased dog.
About thirty minutes later, TPD was dispatched to a call reporting a single vehicle crash on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Once on scene, they found an empty car, but quickly noticed a man on a ledge on the other side of the rail, identified as Larson, making statements about killing his dog. He told officers that he was armed and intended to harm himself.
Officers closed down traffic in both directions on the Courtney Campbell at around 8:20 pm. After more than two hours of negotiation, Larson was taken into protective custody without incident at 10:42 pm. Officers state that they did not see a weapon on Larson and one was not recovered upon his arrest. The Causeway reopened to traffic at 11:43 pm.
Larson was transported to the Orient Road Jail, where he was booked and charged with Aggravated Animal Cruelty, a 3rd degree felony that comes with a fine of up to $10,000; his bond was set at $12,500.
As of publication, arrest records under inmate SOID 00989359 show that the 43-year-old remains behind bars on a Baker Act and DNA collection hold, and has since been transfered to the Falkenburg Road Jail.
TPD states that the investigation remains active and ongoing, with updates set to be released by their Public Affairs Office if and or when additional information becomes publicly available.
Article by Rachael Volpe