Arson Subject Charged in Federal Case

SAN DIEGO—A man suspected of arson has been charged federally, announced Suzanne Turner, the acting special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office.

Daniel Hector Mackinnon, 36, has been charged by complaint that was filed in federal court this morning, April 25, 2019. The complaint charges Mackinnon with two counts of “Malicious Destruction of a Building by Means of Fire,” or arson.

The complaint alleges that on April 24, 2019, at approximately 2:15 a.m., an explosion occurred at the Raytheon building located at 8650 Balboa Avenue, San Diego, California. This building is occupied by Raytheon, a cleared defense contractor. Based on surveillance video, investigators observed a Toyota Prius drive into the side of the building. After the vehicle hit the building, a man was seen at the back of the Prius. The complaint further alleges the man opened the back hatch and shortly thereafter, a fireball shot from the vehicle. The man ran away from the car, which was engulfed in flames and destroyed.

According to the complaint, two empty magazine cartridges (weapon related), remnants of a melted gas container, a bottle that had the strong odor of gas, and towels were located inside the car and the gas cap of the Prius was missing. In addition, the Prius driven into the Raytheon building bore two different, stolen California license plates.

Due to quick investigative efforts by investigators, the suspect was identified and located. At approximately 11:30 a.m., Mackinnon was arrested upon entering the United States from Mexico at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry driving a Buick sedan with stolen license plates. Thereafter, Mackinnon was booked into San Diego County Jail by the San Diego Police Department on arson related charges. The state charges have been dropped based upon the filing of the federal charges.

On April 25, 2019, Mackinnon was transferred to federal custody and booked into the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in San Diego by FBI agents. Mackinnon appeared in federal court today, April 25, 2019, at 2:00 p.m. for his initial appearance before the Honorable Mitchell D. Dembin. Mackinnon stipulated to being held in custody without bond pending further proceedings. Mackinnon’s preliminary hearing is set for May 9, 2019, at 9:00 a.m., and his arraignment is set for May 23, 2019, at 9:00 a.m. before the Honorable Ruben B. Brooks.

This investigation was conducted by the San Diego Police Department (SDPD); the Metro Arson Strike Team (MAST); and the federal, state, and local partners of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) San Diego Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF).