A 15-year-old Canadian girl is accused of burning a U.S. minor league baseball team’s bus in downtown Winnipeg while the American players slept at a nearby hotel.
The fire broke out around 1:50 a.m. outside Blue Cross Park, where the Illinois-based Kane County Cougars’ charter bus was parked during the team’s trip north of the border, according to the Winnipeg Police Service.
Firefighters found the tour bus fully engulfed in flames when they arrived at the ballpark, which serves as the home to the Winnipeg Goldeyes, the American team’s opponent in a three-game series.
According to a statement released by Winnipeg police:
The Kane County Cougars team bus was parked after hours while on a road trip to Winnipeg. The entire bus and contents were destroyed. A bystander nearby, observed someone inside the bus and assisted in removing them. Upon police arrival, two teens were taken into custody. Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service extinguished the fire and thankfully nobody was injured.
Police have charged a 15-year-old girl with arson and “arson causing damage to property” and “possession of incendiary material.”
Authorities have not released a motive for the fire.
Authorities released the girl to a “responsible adult” on an “undertaking” — a Canadian legal term that means release without a formal bail hearing, where the suspect promises to appear in court and comply with court-ordered conditions.
“The Cougars said the Winnipeg Goldeyes helped arrange a replacement bus so the team could travel to Fargo, North Dakota, for its weekend games against the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks,” the New York Post reported.
Another bus arrived to bring the team back to Illinois after that series.
The Cougars are a minor league farm team that has developed talent for several different major league clubs for the past three decades. It has been affiliated with the Arizona Diamondbacks since 2015.
Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the best-selling author of the Los Angeles crime novel Below the Line and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.