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Man Charged With Attempted Murder, Arson In St. Paul Fire

ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The 48-year-old man accused of trying to kill the mother of his children in a St. Paul multi-unit house fire Tuesday morning has been charged.

On Wednesday, Louis Ambrose was charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree arson, which are both felonies.

According to the criminal complaint, St. Paul Police responded to a domestic call at about 8:30 a.m. on the 930 block of Clark Street. When they arrived, one of Ambrose's children told police that Ambrose lit the house on fire and tried to keep his mother inside the house, yelling, "I'm going to kill her! I'm going to kill her!"

According to the mother, Ambrose threw two "molotov cocktails" through her bedroom window, which started her curtains on fire. When she left the bedroom and opened the house's front door to let her children out of the house, Ambrose blocked her from escaping.

He then threw her into a bathroom and tried to light her on fire by using Pine Cleaner, the complaint states.

A neighbor, who saw flames coming up over the house, kicked the front door open and saw that Ambrose was in the entryway. The smoke was so thick that the neighbor could not immediately find the mother, who was on the floor. He then grabbed Ambrose, threw him down the stairs, grabbed the mother and brought her outside.

Officers arrived to find Ambrose fleeing the scene. After a short police chase, officers arrested him and booked him into Ramsey County Jail.

If convicted, Ambrose could face up to 20 years for each felony charge. He could also face up to a $20,000 fine for the arson charge.

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