Lake Wales police release images of suspect's vehicle in Molotov cocktail attack on insurance business

Business hit with Molotov cocktails

FOX 13's Carla Bayron spoke with the franchise owner about a potential motive and a possible hate-crime charge for the suspect.

LAKE WALES, Fla. - The Lake Wales Police Department have released surveillance video and photos of a vehicle they believe belongs to the suspect who vandalized an insurance business.

German Portillo is the franchise owner of Univista Insurance off of Highway 60.

"We still feel fear. I'm not going to lie," Portillo said. "As soon as we came in, we saw the Molotov-type bombs."

The backstory:

The vandalism happened at around 1:30 a.m. last Thursday. The suspect threw two Molotov cocktails that caught a wall and an artificial plant on fire, but thankfully the fire burned out.

The suspect also shot through the front door, breaking the glass. The bullet traveled through the walls and was lodged at the back of the business, which was collected for evidence.

Follow FOX 13 on YouTube

What's next:

Police are searching for the driver of a silver Toyota Prius seen on surveillance footage and are searching for a motive.

"This could be considered a hate crime if all the elements line up," said Lt. Dale Hampton with LWPD. "They did, before they left, paint 'Civil War Trump' on the business."

Portillo said he hasn't had an issue with a customer before, so he doesn't know why he'd be targeted.

Local perspective:

"I don't think it's about race or is political," said Portillo. "I'm not affiliated to any party and my job is not related to any political affiliation."

CRIME: Florida man accused of running meth business out of tent arrested: Deputies

Portillo said a positive that has come from this is that the community has been very supportive. He won't allow this scary ordeal to stop him from making a living and from helping others.

"They're not going to get any quitting from us," said Portillo. "We're going to keep serving the community and our customers the way we have done."

What you can do:

On top of a potential hate crime charge, police said the suspect could face a burglary and arson charge. Heartland Crime Stoppers is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered through an interview with the franchise owner of Univista Insurance. It also includes information from the Lake Wales Police Department.

WATCH FOX 13 NEWS:

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: