BATTLE CREEK, Mich. — Early Tuesday morning, the Battle Creek Police and Fire departments and the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of gunfire and a house fire on Piper Avenue.
Upon arrival, officers found a smoldering Molotov cocktail on the front porch. The resident informed police that this was the second attack of the night. The suspect had thrown a Molotov cocktail at the home shortly after midnight, which failed to ignite and went unreported. When the suspect returned around 2 a.m. and threw a second Molotov cocktail, the resident, who is a legal gun owner, fired several shots at the suspect and called police. The suspect was not hit.
At 3 a.m., police observed the suspect's vehicle driving past the residence. Police pulled over the suspect, a 26-year-old Battle Creek man, without incident and arrested him for arson and five counts of assault with intent to murder. No injuries were reported by the family inside the residence, and the damage to the front entryway was minor.
Police believe this was an isolated and targeted incident.
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