LAS VEGAS -- A man set on fire after an altercation at a Circle K in October will face his attacker in court next month and for the first time is ready to tell his story.
Theodore Bejarano spoke exclusively with 8 News Now Sunday.
"I regret that I had an attitude or anything that would piss somebody off, said Bejarano. "I regret all night."
Police records show Theodore Bejarano had been drinking before being asked to leave the gas station. He then repeatedly asked 61-year-old Patrick Newell for a ride home. Newell turned Bejarano down several times and threatened him with a knife. Police say when Bejarano didn't leave, Newell sprayed him with gasoline and lit him on fire. Bejarano says he ripped off his clothes to put out the flames.
"He came at me again when I was sitting there naked and helpless, and the people that were at the Circle K stopped him or I wouldn't be alive."
Bejarano was taken to the hospital in critical condition with serious burns to his arm, chest, and face. But that's not what keeps him up at night.
He says since that day he's had panic attacks and reoccurring nightmares.
While his visible wounds have started to heal, he is now turning his focus to the ones below the surface.
Bejarano expects to take the stand as a witness against Newell on February 5.
