Man Accused of Setting Fire to Miss. Police Station Caught on Camera

Security camera footage shows a masked man breaking a window, entering the Senatobia Police Department and igniting a fire before investigators tracked a suspect to Alabama and arrested him less than 48 hours later.

Source Officer.com News

Joe Vince

Nov. 4, 2026

2 min read

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A civil rights activist is accused of setting fire to the Senatobia Police Department on Halloween, and investigators say surveillance footage captured the suspect allegedly starting the blaze.
Federal agents determined the fire was arson and arrested 41-year-old Garrick Rawls in Alabama less than 48 hours later with help from multiple law enforcement agencies.
Investigators say evidence including security footage, cellphone data and tips helped identify Rawls, while the fire forced the department to relocate operations.

ATF Investigators stand in front of the Senatobia Police Department, which was damaged by an intentionally started fire — Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators examine the damage done to the Senatobia Police Department by a fire that was allegedly started on Halloween by a 41-year-old civil rights activist.

A 41-year-old man is accused of setting fire to a Mississippi police station on Halloween, and security camera footage caught the suspect allegedly starting the blaze.

Firefighters responded to a call at the Senatobia Police Department shortly before 5 a.m., Mississippi Today reports. Investigators from the New Orleans the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives office were on the scene a short time later and determined the fire was arson.

"Less than 48 hours after that determination, agents tracked the suspect to Huntsville, Alabama, and took him into custody with the help of Huntsville Police and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation," the ATF stated in a social media post.

Garrick Rawls was apprehended at a relative's house thanks to security camera footage, his cellphone and tips. Rawls is a civil rights activist who was part of demonstrations against police after an officer fataly shot of 1-year-old Kohen Wiley in June after firing at his mother and another who were accused of stealing diapers and baby clothes.

According to a federal complaint obtained by Mississippi Today, Rawls allegedly walked up to a window at the front of the police station and broke a window with a hammer shortly after 4:30 a.m.. In recently released security camera footage, a masked man with dreadlocks is seen pouring out a substance in the station's lobby before igniting.

“The subsequent explosion sends the individual flying back into the roadway, with several body parts on fire, including the right foot area,” the complaint states, according to Mississippi Today. Law enforcement officers found a Tommy Hilfiger boot that was partially burned, two latex gloves, a hammer and the nozzle of a gas can at the scene."

When Rawls was apprehended, he was wearing a large bandage on his right leg and had a limp.

Following the fire, the department will be operating at a new location.

"The Senatobia Police Department will not tolerate acts of violence or criminal activity directed against any person, business, or organization within our community," the department stated in a news release. "Those who choose to commit these acts will be held accountable."

About the Author

Joe Vince

Joining Endeavor Business Media in 2018, Joe has worked on the company's city services publications. He began working at OFFICER.com as the assistant editor. Before starting at Endeavor, Joe had worked for a variety of print and online news outlets, including the Indianapolis Star, the South Bend Tribune, Reddit and Patch.com.