Police Believe Bomb Linked to Attacks on Circle of Friends

Irvine police discovered an unexploded homemade bomb in University Park early Friday morning in what they suspect to be the third attack in less than two months on a group of friends who attended University High School together.

Two victims, who live within blocks of Ash Tree Lane, where the crude device was found, said they believe they know the identity of the person who has been burning and bombing their cars. The two said the series of overnight attacks has been orchestrated by an old high school acquaintance. On Friday morning, police responded to a call that a bomb had been found on top of a dark gray 1986 Ford Mustang, owned by John Hart, 22, Police Lt. Michael White said.

The bomb, which police described as a combination Molotov cocktail and pipe bomb, failed to explode because of a faulty fuse, White said.

Although John Hart was unavailable for comment, his 20-year-old brother, James, said that the attacks have frightened and infuriated his brother and his friends. Victims identified the suspect to Irvine police a month ago.

“I’m angered,” James Hart said. “I don’t know why anyone would do that (blow up cars).”

The bomb found on Hart’s car is similar to one that destroyed a red, 1977 BMW on July 19, police said. The owner, Tawnya Boaz, 22, lives three blocks from Hart and is a close friend, James Hart said.

And in a July 9 incident that occurred one block from Hart’s home, an arsonist broke the passenger window of a 1977 Honda Civic, poured gasoline on the seat and floorboard and set it on fire, White said. The owner, Gregory George, 19, of Sequoia Tree Lane, said in an interview that he is a good friend of the other two victims.

Although the victims have identified the acquaintance, Irvine police Friday would not confirm that they had a suspect. In separate interviews Friday, George and Boaz said they suspect an old high school acquaintance, who they claim has been bragging about the attacks. Neither could offer a specific motive.

“I know who it is,” Boaz said Friday afternoon. “This guy is weird. He needs to be stopped.”

White confirmed that investigators believe there may be a link in the attacks, but he declined to elaborate, saying that police have not determined a motive to sufficiently connect the cases.

“There’s a possible connection,” White said, “but we need to continue the investigation. At this point, we are still trying to find out what the motives are.”

In Friday’s bombing attempt, three Irvine police units, vehicles from the Orange County Fire Department and the Sheriff’s Department bomb squad were called at 6:15 a.m. to dismantle the explosive device.

Daniel J. Hart, the father, first spotted the bomb, James Hart said, when he had walked out of the house to get the morning paper before leaving to his job. He ran inside, alerted John Hart and called the police, James Hart said.

After police arrived, they closed off Ash Tree Lane, a tiny cul-de-sac near Michelson Drive, while bomb experts worked for 2 1/2 hours to dismantle the device.

The bomb was fashioned out of a 32-ounce Gatorade bottle, which was filled with gasoline, White said. A four-inch pipe bomb was then placed in the neck of the bottle, and a gasoline-soaked fuse was rigged to ignite the pipe and bottle.

But the fuse, which had been lit and burned a corner of the Mustang’s roof, failed to burn all the way to the pipe bomb, White said.

“Upon examination, it looks like the wick simply burned out before the bomb exploded,” he said, adding that if the bomber had thrown the lighted bomb it would have exploded in a spray of gasoline.

“I don’t know why it wasn’t thrown,” he said. “It would have exploded.”

The bottle was confiscated by Irvine police, who will examine it for fingerprints, White said. The pipe and fuse portion of the bomb was taken to the Sheriff’s Department’s hazardous devices laboratory in Orange for examination, said Lt. Richard Olson, a spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department.

James Hart said that until an arrest is made, he and his brother will warn other friends about possible bombing attacks.

“This guy really has got to be stopped,” he continued. “He’s insane.”