Woman Set Ablaze in Random Attack — Suspect’s History Reveals Disturbing Pattern

Liberty Check

• A Florida woman suffered horrific second-degree burns after a complete stranger allegedly ignited gasoline while she was pumping gas in a seemingly random act of violence
• Despite an extensive criminal history including multiple drug and alcohol charges, the suspect was free to roam the streets and commit this near-fatal attack
• Questions are mounting about why repeat offenders with diminished capacity continue to slip through a broken justice system that fails to protect law-abiding citizens

A routine stop at a St. Petersburg gas station turned into a nightmare Thursday night when a Florida woman was engulfed in flames after a stranger allegedly walked up and deliberately set fire to her gasoline with a lighter.

Christine Sherbuk, 41, was filling her Volvo SUV at a Mobil station when Eleanor Crawford, also 41, approached and allegedly ignited the fuel at approximately 8 p.m. The attack left Sherbuk with second-degree burns to her arms and back and her vehicle completely ablaze.

Scotty Gramling, who was parked nearby, witnessed the horrifying scene unfold. He immediately raced to help Sherbuk as flames consumed her vehicle.

“It was a fireball,” Gramling told Fox 13 Tampa Bay.

Gramling pulled the injured woman into his truck and called 911. He described what he saw as an inferno that erupted without warning.

Moments before the gas station attack, Gramling had called the police non-emergency line after observing Crawford involved in some kind of altercation across the street. Someone appeared to be trying to pull her out of the roadway before a fight broke out.

Officers were already responding to that disturbance when the gas station violence unfolded. Police apprehended Crawford just blocks away within about 20 minutes.

The arrest affidavit states multiple witnesses saw Crawford ignite the gasoline. The entire incident was captured on video.

Investigators confirmed that Crawford and Sherbuk did not know each other. Authorities have not identified a motive for the seemingly random attack.

“I don’t know if alcohol and drugs were involved, but indicative of her history, there might’ve been something that diminished capacity there,” Assistant Police Chief Mike Kovacsev told Fox 13. “Why would she even do something like this?”

Police revealed Crawford has an extensive criminal record that includes several drug- and alcohol-related charges. Authorities have not confirmed whether she was under the influence at the time of the alleged attack — but her history raises serious questions about public safety.

“It’s kind of a unique case because you don’t see anything like this, especially something that results in such horrific burns,” Kovacsev said. “But they went out there, they worked with the fire department, and luckily they were able to get her stabilized, and she’s going to make it.”

Sherbuk was rushed to the trauma center at Tampa General Hospital in serious condition. Police said she was stabilized and is expected to survive.

Crawford has been charged with attempted felony murder and two counts of arson. She is being held on $350,000 bond while awaiting trial.

A judge ordered her to be fitted with a GPS monitor by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office before her release from jail, court records show. The case remains under investigation.

Americans deserve better.