A woman is recovering after detectives said a man set her on fire, then trapped her inside a car.
Police said Ulysses Chapman and Anita Ahmadi were in a car on St. Louis Street in Tampa when they got into a fight.
Ahmadi told police that Chapman said he would set her on fire if she didn't "shut up." Witnesses said he took a five-gallon jug of gasoline and threw it on her, then lit her on fire.
She told police Chapman even locked the door so she couldn't escape.
Ahmadi's friends said they are horrified by what happened to her.
"The vicious attack on Anita...I'll tell you, it leaves me without words," Sharlene Powell said. "It's just sad. Very sad.
Powell was helping Ahmadi get back on her feet. The 40-year-old fought a crack addiction and was part of a program called Unique Ladies of Character.
Ahmadi's mentors said that even though she was troubled, she was a sweet woman who didn't deserve such a savage attack.
"That sounds to me like he treated her like a piece of trash," Powell said. "That's what you do to trash, you douse gas and strike a lighter to it. I'm left without words."
Ahmadi was severely burned on her leg and arm. She is recovering at Tampa General Hospital.
Chapman has been charged with arson and aggravated battery causing great bodily harm.