Riverside Liquor Store Owner Accused Of Hiring 2 Men To Burn His Competition

RIVERSIDE (CBSLA.com) — A liquor store owner in Riverside was arrested on suspicion of hiring two men to burn down his competition.

Security video showed a man dressed in black pouring gasoline on the front door of Sunny Liquor & Market at 4810 Tyler Street and setting the store on fire on Nov. 11.

According to the store owner, Sunny Rana, his family always had a hunch who was behind the arson. "They always say may be your competition," he said.

Rana just learned from police that his family's hunch was correct. The owner of Tyler Market across the street, Munir 'Mark' Hawara, 49, hired two men to burn down Rana's store, police said.

The two men were identified as Willis Lee Simmons, 42, of Moreno Valley and Randy Allen Ramirez, 33, of Riverside.

Simmons and Ramirez were also arrested.

"He's really crazy. I've been in business almost 27-28 years. I've never heard of that," Rana said.

He suspected a price war may have been behind his competitor's fury. If a beer poster outside Tyler Market read $8.49, Rana would drop his price to $7.49 for the same item.

"That's why he get mad. He just want to close my store," Rana said.

A longtime customer said she did not believe Hawara would try to burn the competition.

"We've lived here for 22 years, and I don't think he would do something like that."

If a price war was the problem, Rana said Hawara should have stopped by to talk to him about it.

"If he come and talk to me, may be we can think about both same or different thing. But he never come and talk to me."

Rana accused Hawara of trying to burn down his store five times between January and November.