Police said Tuesday that a "suspicious device" found on the roof of a business after a fire earlier this month was a rocket. Authorities are attempting to determine whether the case is connected to a series of attacks on the Hemet Gang Task Force.
The fire was reported June 3 at Los Altos Market in Hemet. Police said the nine-pound, inert training rocket malfunctioned and landed on the roof of the building, where firefighters found it after the blaze was extinguished.
Authorities said the M29A2 rocket was pointed in the general direction of the Hemet Police Department, according to Southwest Riverside News Network.
The discovery came amid an investigation into attacks against the city's Gang Task Force and City of Hemet property.
When the blaze was first reported June 3, Lt. Duane Wisehart said, "Based on the type of device, time of occurrence and close proximity to the police facility, the investigation is being handled by the same task force as the prior attacks on police and city buildings and vehicles."
The attacks began in December when a gas line of the roof of the Gang Task Force building was directed into the building. In February, a device described as a "home-made zip-gun" was discovered as a task force officer opened a gate at the building.
In March, an explosive device was attached to an unmarked patrol car. Later than month, four city code enforcement trucks were torched in the Hemet City Hall parking lot.
In April, a fire damaged a mobile home used for police training.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire, which burned pallets at the market.
