Disorderly Patron at Diamondback Threw Molotov Cocktail: Police

A man accused of throwing a molotov cocktail at the Diamondback Tavern in Ellicott City Friday faces multiple charges including arson, according to the Howard County Police Department.

Kenneth Norman Conway, 24, of the 6800 block of Sanctuary Court in Elkridge, was being held at the Howard County Detention Center Friday in connection with a fire outside the restaurant.

At 1:20 a.m. on Friday, officers responded to the 3700 block of Old Columbia Pike in Ellicott City for a report of malicious burning, according to the Howard County Police Department.

Diamondback Tavern employees said that a man who was kicked out of the bar an hour earlier had come back and thrown a molotov cocktail at the door from his vehicle, police reported.

The device bounced onto a railing along the sidewalk, then into the street, where crews extinguished a small fire, the report said.

Approximately 35 people were inside the bar at the time, according to the report, which said the device did not hit the building.

Staff gave a description of the suspect vehicle—a gray hatchback—to police, who traced it to Conway and his address in Elkridge, according to the report. As police were investigating, he pulled into the driveway in another vehicle and was later taken into custody without incident, police said.

According to online court records, Conway has been charged with attempted first- and second-degree arson, attempted malicious burning, possession of explosive/destructive material with intent to create a destructive device and manufacturing/possessing/distributing a destructive device.