Fontana police make arrest after man fires flare gun at home; same home hit by Molotov cocktail
Fontana police have arrested a man they believe is responsible for firing a flare gun at a home over the weekend.
Officials say they're still investigating whether the suspect, who has yet to be publicly identified, is responsible for a pair of Molotov cocktail attacks in the same neighborhood, including one at the same house he allegedly attacked with the flare gun.
"Just disbelief, just very confused on why it happened," said resident Celeste Gonzalez, who said her home was hit by a Molotov cocktail the morning of Oct. 18. "Based on the location of our home, there is a big street nearby, so it could have just been a fluke. It could have just been a random act of craziness."
Surveillance video from the backyard of her Fontana home shows a Molotov cocktail flying through the air before hitting the roof and falling into the back lawn. Gonzalez said fortunately, the backyard was wet, so the fire didn't spread.
But when Gonzalez said her home was hit again, this time by a man on a bicycle who fired a flare gun at her living room window on Nov. 14, she no longer thinks it was a random attack.
"It was very loud. There was a flash of red. I was sitting in the living room when this happened, so with the angle of it, if they had shot at closer range, they would have shot basically where I was sitting." Gonzalez said.
Surveillance video shows a clear picture of the man firing the flare gun at her home.
A neighbor's surveillance camera also captured the suspect shouting in Spanish as he rode off on his bike down the road.
"The person who did this spoke in Spanish and said, 'Respect the family' and then some curse words in Spanish," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said she doesn't believe she or her father have had any recent disagreements with anyone that would have prompted the attacks, and they have no idea who is responsible. They have lived in the home for four years.
"It's really awful just because this is the one place you should always feel safe. I figured by trying to get as many leads as we can on who this could possibly be. It couldn't hurt us at this time because he already knows where we live, so yeah, we just really want an answer," she said.
Gonzalez said she reported the two incidents to Fontana police and has been in contact with another neighbor who said her home was also recently hit by a Molotov cocktail.
Fontana police have confirmed they're still investigating, but have not released any information on the motive for the attacks.
