Homemade Bombs Have Yucaipa Investigators Searching and Seeking

By Lee Brown
on Thursday, October 11th, 2012 at 12:30 pm

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YUCAIPA – Sheriff’s deputies are seeking a person who is making homemade bombs, and sent a bomb and arson detail to begin looking into the latest incident on Wednesday.

A typical "Bottle Bomb" can be a simple plastic soda bottle with unknown contents. Police warn against touching or moving a suspicious object.

A bomb exploded last week near Seventh Street and Palm Drive. Since Oct. 4, nine devices have been reported in the city, found in front yards and mailboxes. Known as bottle bombs, investigators believe that a single person or group is responsible. But so far there are no suspects.

Yucaipa is a San Bernardino County community located about 20 miles east of San Bernardino along Interstate 10.

“Several residential properties have had mailboxes and property damage from homemade chemical bombs,” said spokeswoman Cindy Bachman. “There isn’t a specific pattern, and the homes are scattered throughout Yucaipa.”

The devices are basically amateur, “but they are very dangerous,” said Sgt. Frank Gonzalez. “The pressure that it produces is significant.” If a bomb goes off in someone’s face, there can be extensive damage, he said. So far, no one has been injured by any of the bombs, but Gonzalez said one did go off seconds after a resident had discovered it and set it on the ground.

The Yucaipa neighborhood at 7th and Palm is one that has been targeted by the bomb makers

The bomb discovered on Wednesday was made in an apple cider container and left underneath a car parked at a curb. Bachman said explosives can be made with household items, including Drano, foil and other acids used from house cleaners that produce gas that pressurizes a bottle which eventually explodes. She said information for such devices can be found on the internet.

These kinds of explosive devices generally take a short time to go off, but they won’t explode until they are picked up and agitated enough to go off in an unsuspecting person’s hands, said Bachman. “The potential for injury is extremely high,” she said.

Bombs can burst on their own. Gonzalez says anyone discovering devices like these should call authorities – and not touch it. Investigators are examining some of the bombs for fingerprints. Anyone implicated in these bombs could be facing felony charges, said Gonzalez.

Press Enterprise: Bombs found in several neighborhoods

KABC-TV: Yucaipa police warn residents about chemical bombs found in mailboxes around town

NBC 4: Police Warn Residents About “Chemical Bombs” Found at Yucaipa Homes

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