2 Held in Firebombing That Killed 2-Year-Old : Crime: Motive for blaze that badly burned a woman and her baby was apparently revenge against her boyfriend, police say.

Hawthorne police Thursday announced the arrest of a man and a teen-ager in an apartment firebombing that killed a 2-year-old boy and gravely burned his mother and newborn sister. And for the first time they explained why they thought it happened: The motive, they said, was revenge over an argument about who would use the telephone.

Dewayne Moore, 23, of Los Angeles and a 17-year-old Compton youth are suspected of throwing two Molotov cocktails through a bedroom window of 20-year-old Valerie Rivers’ first-floor apartment in the 4900 block of West 116th Street the night of Jan. 29, an attack that shocked even seasoned police and fire investigators.

The suspects were booked on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and arson.

Authorities said the attack followed a dispute earlier in the day between Rivers’ boyfriend, who does not live with her, and Moore.

Rivers’ son, Robert Davis, was killed. The mother and infant girl--2 days old at the time--were burned over 50% of their bodies and remain hospitalized in critical condition.

News of the arrests cheered police and fire officials, who said this had been a particularly grueling investigation.

“Maybe we can get some closure on this,” Police Lt. Arvid Krueger said. “This has got to be one of the most horrible nightmares for any police officer or fireman--to go into a burning environment and try to rescue infants burned like they were. It was beyond imagination.”

When the first police and fire units responded to the fire, they found Rivers collapsed in the bathroom, where she had apparently gone to extinguish her flaming clothes in the shower and had broken a window in an attempt to escape. Fire Department Battalion Chief Dave Beichner--who later investigated the arson--and Police Officer Steven Colquette dashed into the blazing apartment without protective clothing or a hose and were able to get Rivers out before being driven back by flames.

Two other firefighters, arriving minutes later with breathing apparatus but still no hose, were able to retrieve the two children.

In the days after the attack, police offered few details of the crime, and the hospital where the survivors were being treated refused to confirm their presence, fearing retaliation.

“Somebody that would do something that vicious, if they knew (the victims) were at a hospital somewhere, they might try to catch up to them there,” Krueger said.

Police said Thursday that they still knew little about the argument that led to the attack, although they hinted that Rivers’ boyfriend may have been the intended target. But the boyfriend was not in the apartment when the firebombs came through the window shortly after 9 p.m., Krueger said.

Both suspects are believed to be gang members, police said, and were at least acquainted with the boyfriend and Rivers.

At the Sundale Apartments, bright banners and a “Now Renting” sign offered a cheerful greeting. And from the outside, the firebombed apartment looked like all the others, except the blinds were drawn.

“The people here, they came the same night to clean up,” one employee said. “But inside, it’s a mess.”

A fund for the victims has been set up, and contributions may be mailed to the Hawthorne Fire Department Fire Fighters Relief Fund, 4475 El Segundo Blvd., Hawthorne, CA 90250.