LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A man faces an arson charge after allegedly setting off three explosions and causing a fire inside a Las Vegas Strip resort bathroom, an arrest report said.
Kenny Terry faces charges of first-degree arson and the obstruction of a public officer, records showed.
On Aug. 7, around 10 a.m., officers responded to a call stating there was a small explosion followed by a fire in a men’s restroom at the Paris Hotel on the south side of the casino, the report said.
When officers arrived, they spoke to a construction worker who said he was working next to the restroom when he heard three explosions from inside. He then ran into the restroom to evacuate it and saw a fire break out inside the last stall, police said.
Officers then reviewed the surveillance footage which showed a man wearing a black hat, a black jacket with no shirt underneath, black shorts, and one black and one white shoe leaving the bathroom right before the explosions while pushing a stroller with a backpack in it.
The man was then seen walking toward the Horseshoe Hotel where he dropped the backpack inside a trash can and left the stroller behind, the arrest report said.
Officers then tracked the suspect through surveillance footage as he made his way around the Las Vegas Strip.
Around 10:20 p.m., a security officer saw the suspect walking on the Strip. As officers approached the suspect, he ran across Las Vegas Boulevard, toward the Bellagio. Officers then took the man, who identified himself as Terry, into custody.
Officers recovered the backpack and stroller Terry left behind. The backpack was taken by the fire department for forensic testing for the presence of accelerants due to a dog hitting on the backpack, according to the arrest report.
Terry told officers that he was homeless and frequented the Strip. He admitted to being at the Paris earlier that day but said he could not remember if he used the bathroom. When asked why he left the backpack and stroller behind, Terry said that the backpack smelled because it had fecal matter in it so he threw it away and didn’t need the stroller, the report said.
Terry was released on Aug. 9 with the condition that he stays out of trouble and away from the Paris Hotel. He is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 15, records showed.
The estimated damages from the fire are $50,000, according to the Clark County Fire Department.
