The Santa Cruz County bomb squad unit was kept busy yesterday afternoon, investigating and dismantling two suspicious devices. The suspected bombs later turned out to be duds.
The Santa Cruz County bomb squad unit was kept busy yesterday afternoon, investigating and dismantling two suspicious devices. The suspected bombs later turned out to be duds.
The first event occurred on Swift Street in Santa Cruz at about midmorning. Passersby noticed a cigar-length package wrapped in wire and notified the police, who called in the bomb squad. Surrounding roads were closed, and businesses were advised to evacuate. The bomb squad soon determined that the device was actually a bicycle lock wrapped up in tape.
Soon after that incident ended, the bomb squad was sent to Watsonville, where a man was reported to have a suspicious device outside a hardware store on Green Valley Road. The owner of the device, an electrical engineer, cooperated with the police and told them he was working on a new gadget. Nevertheless, the bomb squad took precautions and evacuated the area, including the Crossroads Shopping Center. A robot then removed the device from the car, and a water cannon was used to disable it.
Police later reported that the second device was not a bomb either, and that they do not intend to press charges against the owner. Read more at KSBW and the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
