EagleTribune.com, North Andover, MA

Merrimack Valley

Caught on video: Man firebombs city nightspot

By Jim Patten and Drake Lucas
Staff Writers
Published: March 14, 2008

LAWRENCE — A would-be arsonist nearly got caught in the flames of his own making when he firebombed a Common Street nightspot early yesterday morning.

Dramatic video surveillance footage shows the man dashing away from the front of El Centro, at 60 Common St., just a step ahead of an explosion of flames that poured out of a window in a door he had just smashed.

The video shows the man pulling up outside the club about 3 a.m. and making three trips between his car and the front of the club. On each trip, he carried a large jug police said were filled with gasoline and equipped with wicks.

Detective Sgt. Gene Hatem said the man apparently used a hammer to smash out the window in the door, tossed in two of the jugs of gasoline, poured some gasoline inside the door, then lit a wick on the third jug and threw it inside.

The first two jugs didn't go off, but the third one did, Hatem said.

The flames didn't get too far. The third jug landed directly under a sprinkler head, which promptly went to work controlling the flames. The other two jugs also landed under a sprinkler head, Hatem said.

Fire Chief Peter Takvorian said the sprinkler system in the recently renovated building saved it.

Paul Tarshi, owner of the Latin night club, said he's never had any trouble at his club.

He said he had seen the tapes of a person throwing the gasoline into the club, but he wouldn't make any comments on who the person was and whether he knew him.

"This is a fire-proof building," he said. "Somebody tried to do something and it didn't work."

Tarshi said he does not plan to make any security or safety changes at the club, saying that what is in place is enough. He expects to reopen the club in a couple of days.

A June 2005 fire at the former club in the building, Centro Espanol, damaged almost everything in the building. Tarshi said the new club opened about a year and a half ago.

This time around, he said, the fire didn't damage much because of all the fire precautions, including flame retardant material used in the building and sprinklers that put the fire out fast.

Police Chief John Romero said the video surveillance footage leaves no doubt this was an attempted arson.

He said Tarshi is cooperating with the investigation and is not a suspect.

"Clearly, the place is targeted," Romero said.

He described the man as about 5 feet 11 inches tall, wearing jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

Special agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were sent to the scene yesterday morning to assist the Lawrence Fire Investigation Unit with the probe.

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