Derby man arrested in Cadillac Ranch incident now accused in explosive attack: Warrant

A Derby man who was one of eight men arrested after a fight and shooting at the Cadillac Ranch in Southington last week is now accused of throwing an explosive device into the motorcycle repair shop owned by one of the victims from that incident, according to an arrest warrant.

The 48-year-old man was arrested again on Thursday and is now charged with arson in the third degree, conspiracy to commit arson in the third degree, criminal mischief in the third degree, and conspiracy to commit criminal mischief in the third degree.

He was one of four men charged with interfering with an officer the night of the Cadillac Ranch incident. Four other men were charged with assault in the second degree.

On July 17, two days after the fight and shooting at Cadillac Ranch, which happened on July 15, state police responded around 8:13 p.m. to Bully Baggerz and Sons Motorcycle in Griswold after they received a report that an object was thrown through the window and possibly caused smoke inside the garage, the warrant stated.

Public safety bomb technicians determined that a M-class explosive device, or a “homemade device typically made of a tube, sometimes made of cardboard, which is filled with a flash powder and detonated by the use of a hobby fuse” was thrown into the shop. The devices are illegal under Connecticut law, according to the warrant.

The warrant said that the owner of the motorcycle shop was the same man who had been assaulted during the shooting on July 15 at Cadillac Ranch’s “Bike Night.”

The shop owner told investigators he had gotten into a fight with members of a motorcycle club during the event. During the altercation, another man was shot while trying to break up the fight, and the shop owner was beaten. Eight members of the motorcycle club, including the Derby man arrested again on Thursday, were later arrested in connection with that assault.

The shop owner told investigators he believed the explosion was retaliation for the Cadillac Ranch incident and said he could not think of anyone else who would want to target him or his business, according to the warrant.

Flock Safety cameras captured a red Hyundai Kona leaving the scene and connected it with a red Hyundai Kona also identified during the Cadillac Ranch investigation, which helped identify the Derby man who is accused of throwing the explosive device into the motorcycle shop.

The man will appear in court in Norwich on August 8. He was held on $125,000 bond.

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