3 Arrested in Anaheim Fire-Bombing : Molotov Cocktails Explode Harmlessly on Hotel Property

Three teen-agers were arrested after they allegedly tossed three highly explosive Molotov cocktails at an Anaheim hotel, one landing on a second-floor balcony, authorities said.

One of the youths told detectives he had fire-bombed the Kettle Motor Hotel on Tuesday night “because he wanted attention,” Anaheim Fire Department investigator Mike Doty said Wednesday.

Investigators called it miraculous that no one was injured and property damage was minimal.

Can Be Dangerous

“Whoa! One Molotov cocktail will burn down the biggest building you can find,” Doty said. “Remember, it’s what the Russians used against German tanks in World War II.”

Christopher Daniel Ross, 19, who has been living on the streets since he moved to the area from New York three months ago, was arrested in the hotel parking lot just after the incident and booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of using a destructive device, arson of an occupied dwelling and possession of an incendiary device, police investigator W.W. Lane said.

Ross is on probation for a conviction last December of attempted grand theft auto, for which he spent 15 days in Orange County Jail, Lane said.

Two Anaheim boys, 14 and 16 years old, were arrested at their homes and held on suspicion of the same charges at Orange County Juvenile Hall. Their names were not released because of their ages.

Witnesses to Fire Bombs

Witnesses told officers they saw three people toss the Molotov cocktails from behind a concrete wall at about 9 p.m. at the hotel on Lincoln Avenue. The witnesses led officers to the home of a teen-ager who had been at the hotel. He was arrested and implicated his brother and two others. He was later released because he was not involved in the fire-bombing, police said.

Serious Injury Possible

The crudely fashioned explosive devices--bottles filled with flammable liquid and ignited by a wick--could have caused serious injuries had they landed on a combustible surface such as wood. Instead, one Molotov cocktail landed on a second-floor concrete walkway and the gasoline from the shattered bottle burned itself out on the paved floor, causing only minimal property damage. The others landed in the pool area and a parking lot.