Alleged firebomber caught at Rainbow Border Patrol checkpoint to be arraigned tomorrow

SAN DIEGO - A man accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at five targets in San Diego over a 36-hour period, including a middle school and two police stations, is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow in a downtown courtroom.

Edward Batties, 26, was arrested after a high-speed chase about 5:30 a.m. Sunday near the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 15 in Temecula, in Riverside County.

Batties was booked on suspicion of possession of a destructive device, arson, burglary and evading police.

The San Diego man allegedly began his rampage Friday night by tossing a Molotov cocktail into the parking lot of the San Diego Police Department\\\'s Mid-City Division station in City Heights.

San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Maurice Luque said the suspect also allegedly threw a firebomb at nearby Monroe Clark Middle School, but there was no damage. Around 4 p.m. Saturday, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was set aflame on Mission Bay Drive. The vehicle was destroyed, but no one was hurt, Luque said.

The spree continued around 7:30 p.m. Saturday, when a firebomb was tossed over a fence and into the parking lot of the SDPD Eastern Division station on Aero Drive, he said.

Shortly afterward, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a Serra Mesa house. While it broke a window, the device landed in a yard and burned itself out, causing minimal damage, Luque said.

About 5 a.m. Sunday, a San Diego police officer responding to a reported car burglary in Del Mar Heights spotted a vehicle matching the suspect\\\'s description and started to chase it.

Luque said the California Highway Patrol joined the pursuit, which ended shortly after Batties drove over a spike strip at the inspection station near Rainbow, at the Riverside County line.

Luque declined to discuss a possible motive.

Chase ends at Rainbow Border Patrol checkpoint with alleged firebomber

Riverside - A man who allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at five targets over a 36-hour period in San Diego was arrested today after a chase up Interstate 15 to the Riverside County line, a San Diego Fire-Rescue Department official said.

Edward Batties, 26, reportedly lobbed burning objects at two police parking lots, a school, a house and a truck. He was arrested about 5:30 a.m. today near the Border Patrol checkpoint on Interstate 15 near Temecula.

Batties is jailed on suspicion of firebombing, arson, burglary, attempted burglary and evading officers charges, spokesman Maurice Luque of the SDFRD said.

Law enforcement officers said Batties threw Molotov cocktails, a gas can and other objects out of his car during the high-speed pursuit, which started at Del Mar Heights, according to Luque.

The San Diego man allegedly began his rampage Friday night when a Molotov cocktail was tossed into the parking lot of the San Diego police Mid-City Division station in City Heights, Luque said.

\\\"The firebomb rolled under a car without starting the car on fire,\\\" Luque said.

He said the suspect also threw a firebomb at nearby Monroe Clark Middle School, but there was no damage.

Around 4 p.m. Saturday, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was set aflame on Mission Bay Drive. The vehicle was destroyed, but no one was hurt, according to Luque.

\\\"At that incident, witnesses gave police a description of a vehicle the person they believed started the fire drove away in,\\\" Luque said.

The spree continued around 7:30 p.m. when a firebomb was tossed over a fence and into the parking lot of the SDPD Eastern Division station on Aero Drive, he said.

Shortly thereafter, a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a Serra Mesa house. While it broke a window, the device landed in a yard and burned itself out, causing minimal damage, he said.

A San Diego police officer responding to a reported vehicle burglary in Del Mar Heights spotted a vehicle matching the description and started to chase it.

Luque said the California Highway Patrol joined the pursuit, which ended shortly after Batties drove over a spike strip at the inspection station near Rainbow, at the Riverside County line.

The fire official said he could not discuss any possible motive.