Molotov Cocktail

It looked as if a one-man crime wave was about the end early Wednesday, as Baltimore County police prepared to arrest the man they suspected of robbing the Royal Farm Store on Falls Road near Lake Avenue five times between Jan. 14 and Feb. 20.But as detectives obtained a warrant for Reginald Eugene Cooper, 28, of the 4600 block of Reisterstown Road, another man -- with what he said was a Molotov cocktail -- robbed the store of $50 about 5 a.m."I thought we were going to see the last of it," employee Joanne Harper said of the early morning robberies.

Baltimore police yesterday identified 16-year-old Tyonda Roland of Dundalk as the motorcycle passenger who was killed when the vehicle crashed into a turning car in South Baltimore while being pursued by authorities Thursday night.Roland, of the 2000 block of Paulette Road, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred about 10: 40 p.m. on West Bay Avenue in Brooklyn, police said.They said the operator of the motorcycle, William Nord Colbert, 20, of the 7800 block of Willing Court in Pasadena, Anne Arundel County, was in serious condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center yesterday.

County fire investigators arrested a 17-year-old Brooklyn Park youth at his home Thursday on arson charges stemming from two incidents earlier this month.The boy was charged as a juvenile with first-degree arson, attempted first-degree arson, attempted second-degree arson, and making, possessing and using a Molotov cocktail.County EMS/Fire/Rescue spokesman Capt. Allan Graves said the boy is accused of setting a car on fire in the 300 block of Cresswell Road in Brooklyn Park July 12 and throwing a Molotov cocktail through the window of an apartment in the 5800 block of Ritchie Highway in Brooklyn Park 10 days later.

An amateurish Molotov cocktail was found smoldering in Arundel Senior High School Wednesday during the governor's visit to the Odenton school.No one was injured, and the device did not explode. No one was evacuated during the incident, which Anne Arundel County fire and school officials were investigating yesterday. No arrests were made.Jane Doyle, school system spokeswoman, said administrators felt safe in not ordering the building evacuated, because "this fire had not done anything in this small space.

The District Court in Elkton was evacuated yesterday while a robotic device removed a homemade explosive brought there by a couple telling of a neighbor's threats to blow up the town Police Department.Police said the incident led to the arrest of Duane Steven Crapo, 19, and the evacuation of an apartment complex where authorities seized more explosive material from Crapo's residence on East Main Street.Crapo was charged with the manufacture and possession of a Molotov cocktail, the assembly of an explosive device and three counts of reckless endangerment, police said.

Ellicott City Volunteer Firemen's Association soon will trade its 57-year-old home in the historic district for a new facility.Howard County Executive Charles I. Ecker, Chief James Heller of the Department of Fire and Rescue Services and other officials will attend a groundbreaking on the site of the $1.4 million building tomorrow.The station -- which will be built on 2 acres on Route 103 near U.S. 29 -- should be completed by next summer, Heller said.Six career firefighters and a number of volunteers now work out of the Main Street station.

While many youths went out searching for treats Halloween night, some also found trouble.Howard County Police said they took reports of five assaults on trick-or-treaters, as well as a small fire started by a vandal at Wilde Lake High School at River Hill.The fire, caused by what is believed to have been a Molotov cocktail thrown through a window, was extinguished by firefighters and caused very little damage, police said.Between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Monday, three youths wearing camouflage clothing were responsible for four separate robberies near Camelback Lane and The Bowl in Oakland Mills, police said.

Harper's Choice townhouse hit by firebombThe State Fire Marshal's Office is seeking the person who threw a Molotov cocktail at an occupied home in Harper's Choice.No one was injured in the firebombing, and damage to the rear of the two-story townhouse was put at less than $1,000, Deputy Chief Fire Marshal Allen L. Ward said.The Molotov cocktail was thrown about 8 p.m. Thursday against the side of a home in the 5500 block of Mystic Court, Mr. Ward said. The residents reported the bombing."At this time, we haven't assessed a motive," Mr. Ward said.

Fire caused by Molotov cocktailA Molotov cocktail thrown onto the back porch of a Westport residence early yesterday caused a two-alarm fire that damaged four houses and forced several families to flee, a fire official said.In a preliminary report, Capt. Ronald Baker of the fire investigation bureau said evidence found in the rear of 2319 Annapolis Road indicated that a Molotov cocktail was tossed onto the porch.The fire, which was reported shortly after 1 a.m., quickly spread to 2317, 2321 and 2323 and forced 18 people, including several children, to flee.

Three teen-agers were ordered held without bail today on charges of attempting to murder an East Baltimore carryout owner by throwing a Molotov cocktail at him.zTC Charged as adults were Lester L. Talley, 15, of the 1400 block of Darley Ave., a student at Dunbar Middle School; Gregory M. Block, 16, of the 1600 block of Aisquith St., a student at Southern High School; and Garry L. Lambert, 17, of the 1500 block of Penrose Ave., a student at Lake Clifton High...

With rosary beads in his hands, a former prison gang member admitted in court Tuesday that he firebombed an Odenton townhouse in retaliation for the killing of a Crofton teenager - but prosecutors said the youth whose home Jonathan Myers targeted had "nothing to do with" Christopher Jones' slaying and was away at the time. The crimes terrified not only the homeowners so much that they moved, but also the wider community in western Anne Arundel County that was largely unaware of youth gangs until the May 30 killing of 14-year-old Christopher and the June 3 firebombing of the house.

A second teenager has admitted to having a role in the firebombing of a Piney Orchard townhouse, a crime that was intended as retaliation for the May 30 homicide of a Crofton youth. In an Anne Arundel County Juvenile Court hearing last week, the boy, 15, made the equivalent of a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit arson. Like the other back-seat passenger who admitted to participating, he agreed to testify against any of the others. He is scheduled to be sentenced later this month. He was released with electronic monitoring to relatives who do not live in the community, according to Kimberly DiPietro, assistant state's attorney.

A former gang member confessed to a key role in the firebombing of a Piney Orchard townhouse - a crime that police suspect was a retaliation for the death of a 14-year-old, a prosecutor said Friday. Also, witnesses told investigators that Jonathan R. Myers, 22, bought the gasoline for the Molotov cocktail that charred the front of the home, the prosecutors said. The information came to light as an Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge revoked Myers' bond in another case. The Gambrills man had been out of jail and awaiting trial on an attempted murder charge when the firebombing occurred.

The state fire marshal's office and Harford County law enforcement agencies are seeking whoever threw bottles containing a combustible substance onto two roadways, tossed a Molotov cocktail onto another road, set a mailbox on fire and tossed a mailbox onto the porch of a house and set it ablaze, all over the weekend. No injuries or serious damage to dwellings were reported during the incidents that began Friday night, said Joseph Zurolo, a spokesman for the fire marshal's office. About 10 p.m. Friday, a bottle containing a caustic liquid exploded on Bennett Place in Bel Air, Zurolo said.

Police Blotter is a sampling of crimes from police reports in Baltimore and Baltimore County. Baltimore Western Arson -- Police and fire investigators continue to seek whoever threw a Molotov cocktail through the first-floor rear window of a house in the 2100 block of Koko Lane about 5 a.m. Oct. 25. The flame left burn marks on the dwelling before extinguishing itself. Police found a second Molotov cocktail in a rear yard that also burned itself out. There were no injuries. Anyone with information is asked to call the police district at 410-396-2477 or the Fire Department's arson squad at 410-396-5690.

JERUSALEM - On the bloodiest day in two weeks of Israeli raids and military curfews in the seething West Bank city of Nablus, four Palestinians were shot to death after clashes erupted yesterday between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians. Mohammed Masri, 17, was shot in the head during the funeral for his 15-year-old cousin, who had been killed earlier in the day, Palestinian witnesses said. They said Masri was marching in the funeral procession when he was shot by an Israeli gunman. The Israeli army gave a different version of events: Soldiers were standing near the procession, it said, when two Palestinian men approached, one clutching a Molotov cocktail and the other carrying a pistol.

County fire investigators arrested a 17-year-old Brooklyn Park youth at his home Thursday on arson charges stemming from two incidents earlier this month.The boy was charged as a juvenile with first-degree arson, attempted first-degree arson, attempted second-degree arson, and making, possessing and using a Molotov cocktail.County EMS/Fire/Rescue spokesman Capt. Allan Graves said the boy is accused of setting a car on fire in the 300 block of Cresswell Road in Brooklyn Park July 12 and throwing a Molotov cocktail through the window of an apartment in the 5800 block of Ritchie Highway in Brooklyn Park 10 days later.

Baltimore police yesterday identified 16-year-old Tyonda Roland of Dundalk as the motorcycle passenger who was killed when the vehicle crashed into a turning car in South Baltimore while being pursued by authorities Thursday night.Roland, of the 2000 block of Paulette Road, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred about 10: 40 p.m. on West Bay Avenue in Brooklyn, police said.They said the operator of the motorcycle, William Nord Colbert, 20, of the 7800 block of Willing Court in Pasadena, Anne Arundel County, was in serious condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center yesterday.

An amateurish Molotov cocktail was found smoldering in Arundel Senior High School Wednesday during the governor's visit to the Odenton school.No one was injured, and the device did not explode. No one was evacuated during the incident, which Anne Arundel County fire and school officials were investigating yesterday. No arrests were made.Jane Doyle, school system spokeswoman, said administrators felt safe in not ordering the building evacuated, because "this fire had not done anything in this small space.

It looked as if a one-man crime wave was about the end early Wednesday, as Baltimore County police prepared to arrest the man they suspected of robbing the Royal Farm Store on Falls Road near Lake Avenue five times between Jan. 14 and Feb. 20.But as detectives obtained a warrant for Reginald Eugene Cooper, 28, of the 4600 block of Reisterstown Road, another man -- with what he said was a Molotov cocktail -- robbed the store of $50 about 5 a.m."I thought we were going to see the last of it," employee Joanne Harper said of the early morning robberies.