Man Who Set Cherokee Nail Salon On Fire Sentenced: Prosecutors

WOODSTOCK, GA — Prosecutors say a 48-year-old man, a Vietnamese national, acknowledged purposely setting a Woodstock nail salon on fire and was sentenced to prison.

Cherokee County prosecutors on Tuesday said Cang Thanh Luu, 48, of Gwinnett County, entered a negotiated plea to second-degree arson and second-degree criminal damage to property on Aug. 26.

During the hearing, prosecutors said Luu acknowledged setting the fire on Jan. 12, 2021 to Nick's Nails in the 12000 block of Highway 92.

No one was injured in the overnight fire, prosecutors said. However, Nick's Nails and nearby businesses sustained heavy damage, prosecutors said.

Responding firefighters and police smelled "an overpowering odor of gasoline" when they arrived to the scene, prosecutors said.

They added evidence included a gas can nozzle, four distinct points of fire origin, a discarded non-latex glove found at the scene and burn patterns consistent with the use of flammable liquids.

Furthermore, prosecutors said surveillance footage from a gas station about a mile away from the scene showed Luu getting out of a silver Toyota Camry and buying latex gloves around 2 a.m.

Then, shortly after, the footage showed Luu arriving at the strip mall where Nick's Nails was located, prosecutors said.

Video showed "a man carrying a red gas can into the nail salon, then leaving moments later as the fire alarm was activated," prosecutors said.

After Luu entered a negotiated plea, prosecutors said Cherokee County Superior Court Judge Jennifer L. Davis sentenced him, as negotiated, to five years, with the first three years to be served in prison and the remainder on probation.

He will be deported following his release from prison and is ordered to pay $382,589 in restitution, prosecutors said.

“Arson is an inherently dangerous offense that threatens not only property, but also human lives, including those of firefighters, law enforcement, business owners and the general public,” Cherokee County District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway said in a news release. “We are grateful for the response of the Woodstock Fire Department, which ensured that this fire was quickly contained and no injuries occurred.”