South Bay Woman To Plead Guilty In Attempted Bank Arson

TORRANCE, CA — A South Bay woman has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge alleging she threw a Molotov cocktail inside a bank in Torrance after a dispute with the branch manager, according to court documents filed Monday.

Gardena resident Teranee Millet, 35, will enter her plea to one federal count of unlawful possession of a firearm and destructive device, according to her plea agreement.

Millet's guilty plea hearing is expected in the coming weeks in Los Angeles federal court.

The charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison, prosecutors noted.

According to the agreement, on Sept. 20, 2021, Millet entered a Bank of America branch in Torrance. She spoke to the bank manager and demanded to be helped by another teller because she believed she had been waiting in line for too long, prosecutors contend.

When the bank manager informed her that no other tellers were available and she would have to continue waiting, Millet used profane language and yelled, "I'm going to blow this bitch up!" her plea agreement states.

In response, the bank manager called 911 and informed law enforcement of Millet's comments.
A few minutes later, Millet returned to the bank branch and threw a Molotov cocktail into the bank, lighting a fire in the middle of the branch, according to her plea agreement.

A bank customer attempted to put it out, and law enforcement officers responded within a few minutes, secured the scene and recovered the item that Millet allegedly threw on the floor of the bank to start the fire. On her way out of the bank's parking lot and before law enforcement arrived, she allegedly threatened another customer and threw a glass bottle at the customer's truck.

Law enforcement said they used bank surveillance photos to help identify Millet.

Millet was arrested in Fulton County, Georgia, on Dec. 2, 2021, after she allegedly led law enforcement on a chase in a stolen U-Haul van that ended with the van crashing, prosecutors said.

Law enforcement recovered from the van, among other items, a gym bag containing four packs of glass bottles with tissue paper inserted inside the bottles, a can of lighter fluid and a five-gallon can of gasoline, according to court documents. Millet sustained injuries in the crash and later received medical treatment.

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