Ex-employee Quinton Smith accused of throwing bomb at car dealership

A Johns Creek man faces sought revenge against his former employer by throwing a homemade explosive device at a car, police said.

Quinton Smith, 34, is in the Forsyth County jail without bond, stemming from the incident early Tuesday moing at RBM of Atlanta North on McFarland Parkway. 

The dealer’s sales manager, Scott Petherbridge, told Channel 2’s Mike Petchenik he received an email alert that an unauthorized person was on the property about 5:30 that moing.  When he checked the surveillance image he noticed a suspicious man walking in the parking lot and later found evidence of vandalism.

Sheriff Ted Paxton told Petchenik employees recognized the image as Smith, who’d been terminated from a job the day before.

Dealership management told Petchenik that Smith worked for a contractor who handles valet parking on the site. Paxton said detectives searched Smith’s Johns Creek home and found evidence linking him to the crime.

”He’d been on the computer looking at bomb-making techniques, said Paxton.  ”There were similar items at his home recovered that had also been recovered at the crime scene.

Paxton said detectives believe Smith built the device using two bottles and put different combustible chemicals in each one.

”The device was built so that when it was thrown, once the two jars broke and two chemicals mixed, that would ignite and cause the explosion, Paxton said, adding that the device didn’t explode the first time Smith allegedly threw it.

”He’s lucky he didn’t get hurt himself because it malfunctioned, Paxton said.

Investigators believe Smith was motivated purely by revenge and was trying to target his former boss.

Petherbridge said he’s relieved police have made an arrest.

”I feel very good, he said.”Very safe in Forsyth County.