Rancho Cucamonga, California — A 54-year-old man lit his mother on fire and then locked himself inside a Southern California home for five hours before surrendering to authorities Monday, officials said.
Deputies responding to a domestic violence incident before dawn found the 73-year-old woman suffering from burns in a Rancho Cucamonga neighborhood, San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Jodi Miller told reporters.
The woman ran from the house after the alleged attack and got help from a neighbour in the city about 45 miles (72 kilometres) east of Los Angeles, Miller said.
She was hospitalised in critical but stable condition.
The woman, who was not identified, told investigators her son had been acting erratically and set her on fire, though authorities did not say how.
The suspect periodically shouted at sheriff's deputies during a standoff but he was detained around midday, Miller said.
It was not known if he had any weapons during the standoff.
Miller identified him as Gilbert Banuelos and told the newspaper that he was on probation stemming from a prior case involving resisting a police officer. She did not elaborate.
It was not immediately known if Banuelos has an attorney.
Neighbouring homes were evacuated during the standoff and residents were allowed home after the arrest, the Daily Bulletin said.