TAMPA, Fla. — A man is behind bars after Tampa Police Department officers said he admitted to killing his dog by setting it on fire before crashing his car on the Courtney Campbell Causeway.

Jason Larson, 43, has been charged with animal cruelty and is currently booked at Orient Road Jail, the department said in a news release. The incident happened around 7:15 p.m. when officers responded to reports of a fire in a parking lot on West Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Witnesses said they saw Larson starting the fire in the parking lot before taking off. After the fire was put out, officers found the dog’s body.

Half an hour later, police received reports of a car crash on the Courtney Campbell Causeway. When they arrived, they reportedly found Larson on a ledge on the other side of the rail, “making statements that he killed his dog” and threatening to “harm himself.”

The causeway was shut down in both directions as negotiators talked Larson away from the ledge. After more than two hours, the 43-year-old was arrested at 10:42 p.m.

The causeway opened up to traffic about an hour later, police said.

Right now, officers say the investigation is still active.

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