Suspect identified in suspicious Vintage Faire Mall incident

The man who was found tampering with a propane tank in a restricted area of Vintage Faire Mall on Friday has a history of mental illness and might have been under the influence of narcotics, according to Modesto police.

Authorities on Monday released the man’s name as well as additional details about the incident.

Anthony Davila, 26, of San Jose is suspected of arriving at the mall Friday morning in a Ford Expedition that had been stolen the day before from Scotts Valley.

Modesto Police Department spokeswoman Heather Graves said Davila entered an employee area where he manipulated a security camera to point away from him while he disabled the automated security door to the administrative offices by cutting wires.

Mall security staff confronted Davila after he was seen on security cameras pouring transmission fluid on cardboard near a propane tank. All of the items were already at the scene, not brought there by Davila, Graves said.

She said Davila walked away from security staff, went through the mall and exited out of the Sears store, where he was apprehended by police.

“It was determined that Davila did not have the means to ignite the cardboard, and even though his motive is not clear, detectives believe Davila may have been under the influence of narcotics and his history of mental illness may have played a part in his decisions,” Graves said in a news release. “Detectives also believe Davila did not target the mall or any of the employees.”

Graves said Davila has family in Modesto. None of them work at the mall.

The Abercrombie & Fitch store was evacuated and the area near the stolen SUV was locked down during the investigation. Detectives and members of the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Bomb Squad processed the crime scene.

Davila was booked into the Stanislaus County Jail on suspicion of attempting to ignite an explosive device, auto theft and possession of a controlled substance, methamphetamine.

If you have any information regarding criminal activity, please call Crime Stoppers at (209) 521-4636. Callers to Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward. Tipsters may also text information to Crime Stoppers at 274637. Type “TIP704” along with your message.

This story was originally published March 14, 2016 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Suspect identified in suspicious Vintage Faire Mall incident."