Gainesville police have arrested a suspect accused of setting fire to a van at Satchel’s Pizza over the weekend.
Legrand Tacogdoy, 42, was taken into custody on Wednesday in connection with the arson. He is currently being held at the Alachua County Jail with a $50,000 bond.
The arrest followed a meeting earlier that day between Gainesville Police Chief Nelson Moya, Gainesville Fire Rescue Interim Chief Joseph Hillhouse, and Satchel’s Pizza owner Satchel Raye. They discussed the events surrounding the fire that occurred at the restaurant on Sunday.
Both GPD and Gainesville Fire Rescue responded to the scene on Sunday. Raye later shared a video on social media, allegedly showing the suspect involved in the fire.
According to GPD, a series of miscommunications led to a delay in apprehending Tacogdoy. The investigation continued into Monday, but a shift change and an assignment oversight delayed the case. This led to a Facebook post by Raye on Tuesday night, expressing frustration over the situation.
“The Chief was really great to talk to and admitted that some mistakes were made. He was as mad as I was that communication had broken down,” Raye wrote in his Wednesday post. “He promised to catch the individual quickly and assured me they could handle it. He also explained that he was only made aware of the situation that morning.”
Moya acknowledged the communication breakdown.
“Whether you’re running a police department or a pizza restaurant, good service requires clear, reliable communication,” Moya said in a statement. “We are committed to finding this suspect, and we’re taking the lessons learned to improve our response in the future.”
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