A drunk Phoenix man, and his equally drunk buddy, were denied service at a Phoenix bar because they were too drunk. Their response: try to burn the bar to the ground.
About 8:30 p.m. Friday, Alejandro Emetrio Rodriguez, and his friend Delfino Mendez, went to the Funny Farm Bar at 4274 West Thomas Road in Phoenix. They asked for drinks but were denied service because they were already too hammered, as determined by the bartender -- an offense apparently punishable by death.
Before leaving, the two men told the bartender they were going to kill him. Apparently, they weren't kidding.
Rodriguez and Mendez returned to the bar, but this time they went around
to the back of the building, where they doused the bar with gasoline
and set it on fire while several bar patrons were still inside.
The owner of the bar managed to put the fire out with a garden hose, and there was minimal damage.
After police had already arrived on the scene, Rodriguez and Mendez thought
they'd go view their handiwork, and drove by the bar. They were spotted
by the bar owner, who told police the two men who tried to torch his
bar were on their way back.
Rodriguez and Mendez were stopped near 4300 West Mulberry Drive and arrested.
During the arrest, police found a small baggy containing white powder in
Rodriguez's pocket. The substance is now being analyzed by police, and
Rodriguez and Mendez have both been charged with arson.
