Gilroy police and county bomb technicians defused a “crudely constructed” bomb found in the parking lot of a local business Tuesday morning, according to authorities. No injuries or damage were reported.
Officers responded to the business complex located at 8080 Santa Teresa Blvd. just north of First Street the morning of March 26, in response to a call reporting the device, reads a post on the Gilroy Police Department’s Facebook page. The object was a “silver tubular object with a green fuse.” The device was about seven inches long and one inch in diameter, and wrapped in a shiny foil.
The device had a “store-bought” green fuse attached to it, police said. The fuse had been lit, but failed for unknown reasons.
Gilroy police called technicians from the Santa Clara County Bomb Squad to the scene. After inspecting and taking x-rays of the object, authorities determined it was a “live crudely constructed homemade explosive,” police said.
The police department asked the public to be cautious if they find any other such devices. “It is clear the person (or persons) who constructed the device have very little knowledge in the use of certain explosive chemical compounds,” reads the Facebook post. “If an object appears suspicious, please do not touch it, call 911 and try to keep innocent people away from it until police arrival.”
The Gilroy Police Facebook post does not say if anybody has been arrested in relation to the device, or if any suspects have been identified.
The shopping center where the device located houses a popular restaurant and numerous commercial and office businesses.