Early Wednesday morning an outside camera caught a man throwing a rock through the front door of the Travis County Democratic Party office on East 6th Street.

“Comes back up with what appears to be an incendiary device and places it inside the building and then the fire starts to ignite,” said Austin arson investigator Captain Brandon Jennings.

Jennings says the Molotov cocktail could have easily done more damage if it hadn't just been set down inside the door.

“The use of an incendiary device like this is typically to throw it at something. Once you light it and the liquid comes out and catches on fire, the fire spreads upward and outward and does more damage,” said Jennings.

Building damage was also minimized because people at the bar across the street spotted the first flames and put them out with a fire extinguisher.

https://cbsaustin.com/news/local/afd-investigating-possible-arson-at-travis-co-democratic-office

    • inshallah2 [none/use name]
      ·
      3 years ago

      straight-laced dork wasp

      Second only to the Asian giant hornet in nastiness...

      Asian giant hornet

      The Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia), including the color form referred to as the Japanese giant hornet, is the world's largest hornet. It is native to temperate and tropical East Asia, South Asia, Mainland Southeast Asia, and parts of the Russian Far East. It was also found in the Pacific Northwest of North America in late 2019 with a few more additional sightings in 2020, and nests found in 2021, prompting concern that it could become an invasive species.

      [...]

      The hornet has a body length of 45 millimetres ( 1+3/4 inches), a wingspan around 75 mm (3 in), and a stinger 6 mm (1⁄4 in) long, which injects a large amount of potent venom.

      Although the scientific literature and official government sources continue to refer to this species by its established common name, the mainstream media have taken to using the nickname "murder hornet".

  • RedArmor [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    This has similar “Pelosis house was vandalized” vibes.

  • culpritus [any]
    ·
    3 years ago

    No one was in the office at the time, Travis County Democratic Party Chairwoman Katie Naranjo said, but the incident was caught on security cameras. A note was left with a politically motivated threat, Naranjo said.

    “Anyone who wears an American flag as a bandana and then throws a Molotov cocktail ... into a building and leaves a note, a threatening note, is a coward,” she said.

    Authorities did not release the contents of the note.

    So the molotov was 'thrown' or 'placed' in different accounts of the incident, but it didn't shatter. The fire was extinguished by bystanders almost immediately. Really wondering what is in that note.

          • Alaskaball [comrade/them]M
            ·
            3 years ago

            I mean hogs don't really do any street action so can you blame 'em?

            Lmao it's fucking hilarious if he actually did gently put down the Molly like a yankee candle to burn a dnc building.

          • Sushi_Desires
            ·
            3 years ago

            the comedic value would have been off the chart if he had that over-the-top dynamite plunger thing

          • adolescentrefusesack [none/use name]
            ·
            3 years ago

            The only logic I can come up with is that he thought the heat would cause the bottle to melt or rupture, and then the liquid and flames would spread.

            But I think that's applying logic in a place where one shouldn't.

    • IDF_Summer_Camp [none/use name]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Really wondering what is in that note.

      Knowing APD we probably won't find out. They didn't release the Austin bomber's manifesto, and instead told us "don't worry nothing political to see here!"

      The Austin bomber was a member of a Christian survivalist group called Righteous Injection Of Truth (RIOT).

  • Awoo [she/her]
    ·
    edit-2
    3 years ago

    He... Didn't throw the molotov? He just lit it and put it on the ground like it was supposed to explode by itself or something?

  • Phillipkdink [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    No matter how long I look at that photo I simply cannot resolve what is going on

      • Phillipkdink [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Okay but even then, what's happening in the picture? What position is their body in? Are they wearing the bandanna over their entire face? Like what's happening here?