Cassidy Russ, a 32-year-old man from California, was arrested after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at police. “A Molotov cocktail is a homemade bomb made from a bottle filled with gasoline and stuffed with a piece of cloth that is lit just before the bottle is thrown.”
At approximately 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday, officers with the Corning Police Department began investigating a loud banging noise that was coming from outside the police department on the 700 block of Fourth Street.
The suspect, later identified as 32-year-old Cassidy Russ, began “fumbling with an item near the front of his waistband,” the police department said in a press release. As the officers gave the suspect verbal commands, Russ lit a Molotov cocktail and threw it toward police. The Molotov cocktail missed the officer and exploded near a parked vehicle.
Police say that Russ was observed by an officer walking away from the police department following the deployment of the bomb and onto Solano Street.
Authorities say officers pursued Russ after observing him near the department. An off duty officer tackled Russ on the 1300 block of Solano Street, but Russ continued to resist arrest by concealing his hands by his waistband and backpack.
Officers used baton strikes and pain compliance techniques to subdue Russ, who continued to resist arrest, police said. Officers eventually took Russ into custody by placing him in handcuffs under sustained resistance.
This isn’t the first time Russ has been arrested for throwing a Molotov cocktail. This past July Russ “threw a Molotov cocktail near where the police department stages marked patrol cars.”
Russ is in the Tehama County Jail. His charges include “attempted murder, possession of an explosive device, arson, battery on a peace officer and resisting arrest.” He will appear in on December 6, but until then he is being held without bail.
Featured image: Tehama Police Department
