A woman charged with setting a fire outside a Norcross hotel room while four people were inside has been arrested, Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services said.
Shanel Velma Best, 21, was arrested by Gwinnett County police on May 28. She was charged with first degree arson - endangering human life and aggravated assault.
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Best was staying with three adult acquaintances and a child at the Congress Hotel and Suites on April 25 when she got into an argument with one of the female adults, Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services said. The woman kicked Best out of the room around 1 a.m.
After that, guests at the hotel heard yelling and banging, according to the fire department. The people in the hotel room saw orange light through a crack under the door and found a small fire burning outside, the department said. The fire was quickly stomped out, but the carpet near the door was scorched.
“Best’s actions were careless and placed multiple people in danger by blocking the guest room door and impeding egress from the third floor,” Gwinnett Fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said in an April release.
Best was not apprehended by police until more than a month after the fire. She was arrested by Gwinnett County police on Memorial Day. A police report related to that arrest was not ready to be released Tuesday, the department said.
Best is being held without bond at the Gwinnett County Detention Center. She is also facing charges of giving a false name, birth date or address to law enforcement, a probation violation and failure to appear.
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