Man allegedly doused gas on guest’s hotel room door, charged with arson

A 36-year-old man was arrested in Myrtle Beach the day after Christmas for allegedly trying to set fire to the front door of a guest’s hotel room in what appears to be a racially-motivated incident.

Clayton Garrett Byers was charged with first degree arson by Myrtle Beach Police after he was caught running away from the scene by security officers of a nearby hotel, according to the police report.

The victim, a 38-year-old black male, told police he encountered Byers earlier in the evening as he left the hotel on his way to the store.

“While in the stairwell, the offender made a racially motivated comment to the victim and made a hand gesture of shooting a gun in his direction,” the police report said. When the victim asked if he had a problem with him, Byers did not respond.

Later that evening, the victim said he became aware of a strong odor of gasoline. He first checked whether his stove was on, then opened the door to see if the odor was coming from outside his room.

He told police that Byers was pouring a liquid that smelled like gasoline out of soda bottle onto his front door, and that when he confronted Byers, the man fled.

“The victim stated that he did believe that the offender intended to set his hotel room on fire,” the report said.

When police arrived, they said the suspect was being held against a vehicle by two hotel employees.

The report noted the officer “could smell the odor of gasoline coming off his person” and the plastic Fanta soda bottle that held the liquid was found in a trash can in front of the Sea Gypsy.

Police also found a lighter in Byers’ pocket. Bail has not been set.

This story was originally published December 27, 2016 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Man allegedly doused gas on guest’s hotel room door, charged with arson."