Two injured, one seriously, in arson attack at Chula Vista 7-Eleven

Police have arrested a man suspected of intentionally setting fire to a Chula Vista 7-Eleven Saturday morning, seriously injuring one employee and leaving another in critical condition.

Investigators say Jose Carlos Villanueva, 47, entered the convenience store on Broadway near L Street around 8 a.m. and used a flammable liquid, believed to be gasoline, to start the fire. He then fled the scene in a dark-colored sedan.

When officers arrived at the scene, smoke was coming from the front door, police said. A badly burned employee had already left, but officers could hear another woman inside.

Officers were able to remove the second woman from the 7-Eleven and both victims were taken to a local hospital. One of the employees is in critical condition and her injuries are considered life-threatening, police said. The other woman was seriously injured.

Police were able to identify the suspect's vehicle and its license plate and entered that information into a criminal database. Around 2 p.m., police in Redlands, California, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the north, received a notification from a license plate recognition system that the man's vehicle was in their city.

Redlands police used that information to track Villanueva to a gas station, where he was arrested without incident and taken back to Chula Vista.

Investigators said they believe Villanueva knew one of the victims and that the reported crime was not a random act.

There were no customers in the store at the time of the incident. Police are asking any witnesses or anyone with further information to call Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477.