SALT LAKE CITY -- Police arrested a woman they say tried to set a Salt Lake City coffee shop on fire early Monday morning.
At approximately 3 a.m. a Salt Lake City Police officer was patrolling the Liberty Park area when he noticed a woman acting suspiciously at the doors of Beans & Brews Coffee House, located at 906 S. 500 East.
“She had a pack of paper around the front of the business and tried to set it on fire, said Det. Greg Wilking with Salt Lake City Police.
Additional police units as well as Salt Lake City Fire Department responded to the scene and the fire was put out.
After a struggle, Rina Bowen, 47, was brought into custody.
Wilking said Bowen is possibly a transient in the city.
“Not sure quite what the motive was -- might have something to do with a mental health issue,” Wilking said.
There was no damage to the store and they were open for business as usual on Monday.
Police say with the shop’s proximity to homes and the park, it was a stroke of luck that the officer happened to be in the right place at the right time.
“Very fortunate we were there as quickly as we were -- that we were in the area and saw it take place, who knows how big it could have gotten,” Wilking said. “It could have burned down the business, gone on for a longer period of time.”
Bowen faces charges of arson and resisting arrest. She is now in the Salt Lake County Jail.
