BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — A man was arrested after police said he threw Molotov cocktails at a home in Battle Creek overnight Monday into Tuesday.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Battle Creek police and fire departments were called to a home on Piper Avenue for reports of gunfire and a house fire. Arriving officers found a “smoldering Molotov cocktail on the front porch,” the Battle Creek Police Department said.
A resident who lived in the home said a suspect had thrown a Molotov cocktail at the home earlier that night, which did not catch fire and was not reported. Then the suspect returned around 2 a.m. to throw a second Molotov cocktail. That’s when the resident, a legal gun owner, fired several shots at the suspect and called 911. The suspect was not shot, police say.
Around 3 a.m., police saw the suspect driving past the home and pulled him over. The Calhoun County Prosecutor identified the suspect as 26-year-old Mylik Williams of Battle Creek. Williams was arrested for arson and attempted arson, as well as five counts of assault with intent to murder from an unrelated case, the prosecutor confirmed. He said Williams was out on bond at the time and the judge has since revoked Williams’ bond on pending cases.
The family inside the home were not injured. The front doorway was damaged but police said it was minor.
Officers believe this was an isolated, targeted attack.