Woman burned to death after man sets her on fire, police say

Police are searching for a 51-year-old man they say burned a woman to death on Friday after he poured gasoline on her and set her ablaze.

Police say in a statement that the woman, whose name was not released, ran about 1:40 p.m. from a home in the 1500 block of Cordova Street engulfed in flames. The woman collapsed on the scene as neighbors tried to help her.

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Police say that shortly afterward, the Los Angeles County Fire Department arrived at the scene and took her to a nearby hospital, where she died.

Police say that it appears the woman and the suspect got into an argument that led to a fight. Investigators say the man chased the victim from their home and doused her with gasoline. Police say the man then started the fire, possibly with a lit cigarette.

Police identified the suspect as Clarence Duwell Dear, 51. In a “wanted” poster released by police, he was described as black, 5 foot 10, 170 pounds, with black and grey hair and brown eyes. Authorities have released a booking photo of him from 2012.

He was considered to be “extremely dangerous,” according to the release. It was unknown whether he was armed.

Investigators say the man ran off. Anyone with information about the attack is asked to call the Pomona Police Department at 909-620-2085, Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477 or the police department’s dispatch office at (909) 622-1241.

KTLA contributed to this report.

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