Rising smoke from the area of East Pine Street caught the attention of a Swainsboro Police patrol officer during the late night hours of Sunday, May 2. Upon detecting the signs of a possible fire, Emanuel County 9-1-1 notified emergency personnel of a vehicle fire at Jordan Estates apartment. Officers responded to the scene to find a Buick Lesabre in flames and began evacuating all occupants of a nearby apartment complex to the back of the building as Swainsboro fire fighters extinguished the fire.
Video footage obtained by officers from apartment cameras showed a male subject lighting an object and throwing it at the involved vehicle, causing the explosion of the vehicle and the offending subject's arm being caught on fire. The offender then ran from the crime scene, tossing a plastic jug of gasoline into a nearby dumpster. Additional footage obtained from apartment cameras also showed Mack's vehicle, a Buick Enclave, leaving the scene of the fire.
Swainsboro Police Department's Canine Unit responded to the scene to assist in tracking the male offender. K-9 Maya led officers to an address on Emanuel Road. Officers secured the outside of the residence where the subject was located inside, refusing to come out. After further contact, the male subject complied with officers and surrendered himself to law enforcement. A burn mark was noticed on the male subject's right arm during the arrest. When asked what caused the burn, the male subject, identified as Eddie Terrel Mack, age 32, advised officers that it was a burn from a grill. EMS evaluated and cleared the offender on scene. Mack was then transported to Emanuel Medical Center to receive treatment prior to being booked into the Emanuel County Jail where he faced charges of arson, criminal damage to property, and criminal trespass.