Trove Of Molotov Cocktails Found In Santa Monica Mountains

LOS ANGELES, CA — A trove of Molotov cocktails and gas cans left near a trail in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area over the weekend led to the arrest of a 34-year-old Los Angeles man, police announced Monday.

The Los Angeles Police Department's Major Crimes Division arrested Maksim Klimenko on suspicion of possessing destructive device materials. LAPD investigators declined to identify a suspected motive. In the bone-dry Santa Monica Mountains, devices such as Molotov cocktails are capable of causing catastrophic fire damage.

The devices were discovered Saturday by a person who spotted the items in a wooded area near a trail in the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area, according to the LAPD. The person alerted a California State Park ranger, who notified the LAPD and Los Angeles City Fire Department’s Arson Section.

Officers from West Valley Division and Emergency Services Division, Hazardous Material Section responded to the scene and took the eight Molotov cocktails and gasoline containers into evidence.

"Evidence at the scene lead to the identification of a suspect, 34-year-old Maksim Klimenko, a resident of Los Angeles," the LAPD said in a written statement. Authorities would not divulge how Klimenko was allegedly linked to the devices.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing this case for filing consideration, according to the LAPD.