Man kicked out of bar returns twice with Molotov Cocktails to burn it, CMPD says

Two fires within days at a Charlotte lounge were caused by a former patron who had been escorted out by security guards, according to a Mecklenburg County affidavit.

James Thomas Johnson, 28, of Tacoma, Washington, faces more than a half dozen charges in connection with two fires at the Garden Bar and Lounge on Tuckaseegee Road, officials said.

An investigation revealed Johnson’s dispute with the lounge began at 1 a.m. on April 18, when a staff cook had security guards kick him out for allegedly “harassing a customer.”

“Thirty minutes later, while the business was still occupied, a Molotov Cocktail (weapon of mass destruction, and incendiary device) hit the building and started burning. There was no serious damage to the building,” the affidavit reports. “The incident was caught on surveillance video.”

The next morning, a surveillance camera recorded a man “placing a note on the door of the business stating that he was going to continue to fireball the business until the cook was fired,” officials said.

Staff identified the man in the video as the same person who had been kicked out the previous evening, officials said.

On April 24, a second fire was reported at the bar just after 5 a.m., and it caused extensive damage to the building and a vehicle parked in the lot, officials said.

An investigation revealed “multiple Molotov Cocktails” had been used to start the fire, court documents say.

Johnson was seen walking nearby during the arson investigation and arrested as a suspect, police said. He has denied involvement, investigators reported in the affidavit.

CMPD reports Johnson has been charged with:

• Two counts of malicious damage by the use of an incendiary device
• Two counts of possession of a weapon of mass destruction
• Burning commercial business — occupied
• Burning personal property
• Burning an unoccupied commercial business
• Burning caused during commission of a felony

This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 11:17 AM.