Man who set car alight is arrested

Police arrested a man with a history of erratic behavior after they say he lighted the inside of his girlfriend’s vehicle on fire and briefly evaded officers by climbing into a community center through its roof.

Officer Tanner Tixier, a spokesman for the Albuquerque Police Department, said around 10:10 a.m. Monday, police were called to the Cesar Chavez Community Center on Kathryn near Louisiana SE by a woman who said her boyfriend was in her vehicle, refusing to come out and threatening to harm himself.

When officers arrived, they found 32-year-old Superman Amir, who is also known as Joseph Grubb, Tixier said.

“Police officers have an extensive history with Mr. Amir, and are well aware of his proclivity to violence and irrational behavior,” Tixier wrote in an email.

He said when officers arrived, they saw Amir setting a shirt on fire and burning the inside of the vehicle.

They asked the community center to go on lockdown, but Amir was able to get out and jump on the roof of the center. Then he climbed through the roof and into the building, Tixier said.

“A short time later, Mr. Amir exited the building on his own accord and was taken into custody without incident,” he said.

Amir is charged with arson and criminal damage to property and was booked into the county jail.