Ontario Sam's Club explosion: Suspect formally charged with attempted murder, arson

ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) -- Prosecutors on Monday formally charged a man with eight criminal counts days after he allegedly detonated two small explosive devices inside a Sam's Club in Ontario.

Hugo Gonzalez, a 49-year-old Fontana resident, faces three counts of attempted murder, one count of arson, two counts of exploding a device, one count of attempted burglary, and one count of evading police. He is being held on $1 million bail and is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday morning.

Rancho Cucamonga police have confirmed that Gonzalez is a person of interest in a home invasion robbery that occurred in the area of Lemon and Malachite avenues on April 3. In that incident, an 89-year-old woman was tied up while her residence was ransacked.

According to investigators, the intruder fled the scene in a silver Honda Civic with a black front fender and a Domino's Pizza sign on top of the car.

No injuries were reported in the Sam's Club explosion, which was partially captured on surveillance video Thursday at the warehouse store in the 900 block of Milliken Avenue. Gonzalez was taken into custody after a brief car chase.

Bomb squad personnel found bomb-making materials inside Gonzalez's Honda Civic, according to the Ontario Police Department. Aerial footage from AIR7 HD showed a Domino's Pizza sign in the trunk of the car.

Meanwhile, the suspect's nearby apartment building was evacuated as investigators searched his home; no explosives were found in the unit.

The motive for the incident is under investigation.