Pipe Bomb Investigation Blocks Bike Trail Near Cal Expo For Hours
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- A bike trail near Cal Expo was blocked off for several hours Monday afternoon as Sacramento police investigated a suspicious device.
A construction crew in the area spotted the device and flagged down a fire crew that happened to be nearby. The fire crew determined it was a threat to public safety, and called police.
The Sacramento Police Bomb Squad blocked off part of the trail near the American River Parkway, as they quarantined the device, which they say appeared to a plastic pipe bomb.
"It appeared that someone tried to set it off; one side was black and the wick appeared to have been burnt," said Sgt. David Nasca of the Sacramento Police Department.
Nasca says the plastic pipe bomb was about eight inches long and appeared to be homemade. The bomb squad used a robot with a water cannon to safely destroy the device.
Police say they don't know how long the pipe bomb had been on the trail, or who made it.
"It's not very common that those things pop up," added Nasca.
Police don't know if there is a connection to the two incidents from last year, where one pipe bomb was found off Interstate 80 near the Arden Area and another off Highway 50.
No suspects were caught in either incident.
A search is now underway for the suspect who made the bomb. No one was evacuated or injured during the incident.