Milwaukee Man Charged After Throwing Molotov Cocktail Into Store

MILWAUKEE, WI — A 26-year-old Milwaukee man has been arrested and charged by federal authorities after they say he was the man responsible for throwing a Molotov cocktail into a Boost Mobile store during a time of civil unrest in Milwaukee.

Tyshaun Smith, 26, has been charged with attempted arson. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is involved in the case, because the cell phone store deals with interstate commerce.

According to court documents, officers were sent to a Boost Mobile Store on the 900 block of N. 27th Street just after 11 p.m. on May 31 on a report of an arson case.

According to documents, the store owner called authorities to report that he was remotely watching video surveillance footage of a person breaking the glass window of his store, and people trying to break through the metal grates.

Milwaukee police arrived in front of the store several minutes later, and found three people standing next to a broken window outside the store, court records show.

A Milwaukee police officer reported spotting a man, later identified as Tyshaun T. Smith, holding an object that was on fire. That object was later described as a Molotov cocktail by police in a subsequent news release days after the incident.

According to court records, an officer saw Smith throw the Molotov cocktail into the store.

Police said Smith tried running, but tripped and fell as he fled. According to police, a Milwaukee police officer held Smith at taser point as other officers put him in handcuffs.

According to police, an officer found the Molotov cocktail still burning in the store, and removed it. Investigators say the device was made out of an Everfresh Tropical Fruit Punch glass bottle and a white towel with burned ends soaked in gasoline.

When questioned by police, Smith said he saw the civil unrest playing out in his area on a Facebook news feed, and felt compelled to join in the fray.