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The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) released surveillance video footage of a suspect in a molotov cocktail attack and are asking the public for help in located the individual.
On Tuesday, officers were investigating broken glass near the outside gate of the Northeast Area Command station at 3750 Cecile Avenue. Evidence found at the scene indicated a molotov cocktail, "defined as a glass bottle filled with a flammable liquid and wick."
According to the LVMPD, there were no injuries but multiple sections of the police department will be investigating the incident due to the seriousness of the crime. Detectives are asking for the public's assistance in finding a suspect who was caught on tape lighting and throwing the homemade explosive device at the police substation.
Newsweek reached out to the LVMPD for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
The use of Molotov cocktails has become more prevalent amid recent protests that have ignited across the country in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Earlier on May 30, three men were arrested by LVMPD officers and FBI agents on their way to an anti-police violence protest after materials for Molotov cocktails, along with fireworks, guns and a container of gasoline, were found in their vehicle.
According to the criminal complaint obtained by AP, the men, who all have military backgrounds, were planning to incite violence among protestors and "hopefully create civil unrest and rioting throughout Las Vegas." They are each facing two federal charges, as well as state charges that include terrorism.
An informant who met the men before their arrest said one of the suspects, William Loomis, said he originally wanted to firebomb a power substation.
Two lawyers in Brooklyn have also been accused of throwing a molotov cocktail into an empty New York City Police Department vehicle during protests on May 30.
Prosecutors said 31-year-old attorney Urooj Rahman "attempted to distribute Molotov cocktails to several other individuals and to incite them to use the Molotov cocktails in the course of the protests" after doing so herself.
Protests demanding justice for George Floyd and an end to police brutality have been ongoing for over a month since Floyd's death on May 25. Incidences of looting and arson became a challenge for demonstrators during the first few weeks of civil unrest because most protests remained peaceful but media coverage focused heavily on the violence.
However, President Donald Trump used incidences of looting as a way to denounce the national mass protests and defend the use of police force against crowds.
On May 29, Trump took to Twitter to criticize Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's response to the protests, writing "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." The tweets were later flagged by Twitter, who said it "violated the Twitter Rules about glorifying violence."
About the writer
Katherine Fung is a Newsweek senior reporter based in New York City. She has covered U.S. politics and culture extensively. ... Read more