Suspect who set woman on fire in South LA caught on surveillance video

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A cold-hearted criminal was caught on camera grinning just moments before investigators say he committed a heinous crime.

"In broad daylight, this person walks up, pours gasoline all over this person and her belongings and then sets her on fire, very egregious crime," said Capt. Daniel Curry of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The victim was a mother of seven. She is now on life support fighting to recover. Family members say 47-year-old Tabitha Morton suffered extensive burns in the vicious attack.

It happened June 12 in an alley near Vernon Avenue and Avalon Boulevard in South Los Angeles.

"We believe that they were in some type of verbal dispute. He left, he went to the store. He bought a small amount of gasoline. He returns to where she is," Curry said.

The suspect was captured on the store's surveillance camera just before the crime.

Investigators with LAFD's arson unit say several witnesses saw the suspect set Morton on fire. They rushed to save her life as he simply walked away.

Authorities may know what the suspect looks like but are hoping the public can help identify him. Known on the street as "Boo-Boo," investigators want to track him down before anyone else is hurt.

"It's hard to say whether he's done this before, but once once someone has shown the capability of doing this, we certainly expect him to do it again," Curry said.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family pay for medical costs: https://www.gofundme.com/2fxw98s