Poway man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder dies in jail
A 41-year-old Poway man, who had been arrested on suspicion of trying to murder his longtime girlfriend by setting her on fire while she slept, died Tuesday in the jail in downtown San Diego.
Vidal Webb was arrested Monday after a seven-hour standoff with the San Diego Police Department SWAT team that surrounded a house where he was barricaded, officials said.
He was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and arson with great bodily injury.
His girlfriend, whose name was not released, remains in critical condition at UC San Diego Medical Center’s burn unit.
Sheriff’s deputies were called shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday to the home in Poway where the couple lived. Roommates of the couple reported that the woman had been set on fire, allegedly by use of a liquid accelerant and matches.
The Sheriff’s Department said that Webb jumped from the second tier of the housing module to the day room floor. Deputies and medical staff, including a doctor, responded immediately, but Webb was declared dead 20 minutes later.
The jail death is under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department, which runs the jail. Webb was set for arraignment Wednesday.
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