Vandals Throw Firebombs at 3 Camarillo Homes : Crime: The use of Molotov cocktails makes the attacks a felony offense. No one was injured in weekend incidents.

Residents of a quiet Camarillo neighborhood were shaken during the weekend when Molotov cocktails were hurled at three houses, one of which was also trashed with spray paint, toilet paper and eggs.

No one was injured by the firebombs, although one damaged a wooden mailbox. Another singed the edge of a lawn and a third left a black spot in a driveway.

Authorities said the attacks appeared to be random. Two of the houses were occupied by elderly couples; residents of the third are a three-generation family.

“Each one of these people were asked, ‘Do you have an ax to grind?’ and they all said no. It just looks like some random vandalism,” said Sgt. Mike Barnes, who is investigating the incidents for the Sheriff’s Department.

No arrests have been made, but investigators plan to question two boys, ages 13 and 14, who were caught knocking over mailboxes in the same neighborhood the night of the vandalism.

“As of this time, we don’t have anything connecting these kids to the Molotov cocktails,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. Keith Lazz, who is in charge of the Camarillo police station.

The use of Molotov cocktails--bottles of gasoline ignited with a cloth or a wick--is unusual, Barnes said.

“In my career of 20 years, I could count the number of Molotov cocktails I’ve seen on one hand,” he said. “It’s not real common.”

Use of the homemade incendiary devices makes the vandalism a felony offense, Barnes said.

“It’s certainly serious,” he said. “Gasoline could explode or a passer-by could be sprayed by gasoline and flame up.”

All of the incidents occurred between Friday night and Saturday morning in a housing tract northeast of Las Posas and Arneill roads, near Charter Oak Park. The houses damaged were in the 2200 block of Klamath Drive, and the 2400 blocks of Brookhill and Moreno drives.

Deputies have found no witnesses, but the granddaughter of one victim told police she heard a loud crash and footsteps outside her window about 1 a.m. Saturday.

“It had to have been the bottle smashing,” said Cyndee Custis, 18, referring to the jar used for the firebomb.

Residents said the area, which is home to a mixture of senior citizens and families, is normally quiet but has seen minor vandalism in the past year.

Several cars parked along Brookhill Drive were marked with bright orange paint in the last year, Custis said.

City Manager J. William Little said he thinks last weekend’s vandalism was the work of juveniles who “didn’t have a strong upbringing.”

“I think it’s a sign that kids are out of school and getting bored about this time,” he added.

Residents whose houses were affected said they were frightened by the potential for destruction, no matter what the vandals’ intentions were.

“This tree would have gone up like no tomorrow,” said Angeline Marco, 69, pointing to a pine tree behind her wooden mailbox, in which a Molotov cocktail was lit. The fire in the box was doused after a neighbor across the street noticed flames around 4 a.m., she said.

“Had that been thrown at our shake roof, that could have been devastating to us,” said another victim, who asked not to be named.

By far the most damage was done at the house on Moreno Drive.

In addition to a Molotov cocktail being shattered in the driveway, obscenities were spray-painted on a car and across the front of the garage and words written on the driveway in red paint. A mayonnaise-like substance was smeared across a car. Eggs were tossed at the garage, and feces were left on the hood of the car.

“I just stood out in the drive and cussed,” said a 69-year-old woman who lives at the house. “I was so GD mad to think anybody would do this to us.”