SOUTH EL MONTE, Calif. - A homemade bomb was found Friday on the back seat of a car stopped for a traffic violation, authorities said. The bomb was safely defused, but several industrial businesses were evacuated and a main boulevard was closed for about four hours. Authorities did not know the size or power of the explosive device or its intended use.
The driver, whose identity was not immediately released, was arrested for investigation of being under the influence of a narcotic and could face charges of possessing an explosive device and an altered firearm, authorities said.
The driver was pulled over about 5 a.m. in a red hatchback for speeding in El Monte, a suburb about 15 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, sheriff's Sgt. Paul Patterson said. Deputies "observed a package in the rear of the vehicle with wires coming out of it," sheriff's Sgt. Don Manumaleuna said. The sheriff's arson-explosives detail was called and determined that the package was an "improvised explosive device," Manumaleuna said.
The bomb squad contacted the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Manumaleuna said. |