A Gardena woman was sentenced to two years in federal prison for setting a Torrance bank on fire using a Molotov cocktail.
Teranee Millet, 35, entered a Bank of America on Sept. 20, 2021, and after a dispute with the bank manager over what she perceived to be a prolonged wait, she promised to return and “blow this bitch up,” the United States Department of Justice said in a news release.
“A few minutes later, Millet returned to the bank branch and threw a Molotov cocktail into the bank, causing a fire in the middle of the bank,” the release added. A customer at the bank extinguished the blaze.
Millet also threatened another customer in the parking lot and threw a glass bottle at his truck, damaging it.
She was identified using surveillance photos and arrested in Georgia three months after the incident at the bank.
At the time, she was driving a stolen U-Haul van, which she crashed while being pursued by police.
“Inside the van, law enforcement recovered 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,” the release said. “Millet sustained injuries in the crash and later received medical treatment. She has been in custody since that time.”
She pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and destructive device on March 21.