Pubdate: Thu, 21 Jan 2016 Source: Penticton Herald (CN BC) Copyright: 2016 The Okanagan Valley Group of Newspapers Contact: http://www.pentictonherald.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/664 Author: Joe Fries Page: A3 FIREBOMB FAILS TO IGNITE Lit jar of gasoline thrown at downtown business; suspects caught on video Neither police nor the owner of a marijuana compassion club in downtown Penticton club are tying an attempted arson at the shop Wednesday night to the business's dealings. Two suspects are wanted in connection with the incident, which involved a jar full of gasoline being lit on fire and thrown against the front of the Rush In and Finish Cafe on Westminster Avenue. The cafe doubles as the Herbal Green Compassion Club, believed to be the first such service in Penticton to openly sell medical marijuana. Owner Jukka Laurio said the "make-believe Molotov" cocktail cracked a window and damaged a sign and the facade of the building, but snuffed itself out before doing more harm. "It was quite an amateur job. They weren't professionals, just a bunch of punk-ass kids. There's not really something to be concerned about," said Laurio. He doesn't believe the attack had anything to do with the compassion club, which he said has no rivals here in Penticton. "It could be related to a lot of things. It's not like everybody loves me - some that don't are quite passionate about it," said Laurio, who has twice run for mayor of Penticton, but ended his first campaign in 2011 after it was revealed he served jail time for sexual assault. RCMP spokesman Cpl. Dan Moskaluk said investigators are being careful not to draw any conclusions from Laurio's past or his current business dealings. "It's an attempted arson at a business, as far as we're concerned," said Moskaluk. "We're not assuming anything." The suspects were captured on surveillance video. One was wearing a light-coloured hoodie with jeans and dark shoes, while the other had on a light-coloured shirt, dark pants and light-coloured shoes. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Penticton RCMP at 250-492-4300 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477. The attempted arson has not affected the operation of the compassion club, which opened in May, and Laurio still intends to expand it into a neighbouring space. "Everything's moving ahead as planned," he said. Clients, who must be at least 25, don't require legal authorization from Health Canada to purchase marijuana from the compassion club, and are instead assessed by staff on a case-by-case medical basis. - --- MAP posted-by: Matt