Culver City Neighborhood Evacuated As Bomb Squad Detonates More Than A Dozen Explosives
CULVER CITY (CBSLA.com) — An explosive device found in a man's car night during a traffic stop prompted police to search his Culver City apartment, where as many as 17 explosive devices were found.
LAPD stopped Robert Wilson, 29, for driving with expired registration tags around 10 p.m. Tuesday in West Los Angeles, police said.
During the traffic stop, officers found a gun, drugs, and what was believed to be a pipe bomb in the car, according to KNX1070's Margaret Carrero.
Bomb Squad Investigating Suspicious Devices At Culver City Apartment Complex
Once bomb squad detectives confirmed the suspicious item was in fact an explosive, police went to the driver's apartment in the 3800 block of Overland Avenue, where they found more than a dozen explosive devices.
"The fire department will be assisting with the bomb squad, and we'll have other units, our Hazmat unit, that will suit up, get a robot, do the process they will have to do…to render those particular items safe," LAPD Media Relations Sgt. Frank Preciado said.
The apartment complex, nearby residences, and businesses in the Culver Center were evacuated. A shelter for evacuees was set up at 4117 Overland Ave.
"At this point it appears we are going to be closing down the area for quite some time," said Preciado, who added that the individual did not appear to be a terrorist.
"This appears to be just a lone-wolf type of individual. There's no connection to terrorism. This is an individual who apparently seemed to be intrigued with explosive devices," Preciado said.
Police are also investigating a possible link between the suspect and a pipe bomb that was found at a Culver City Jack In The Box on Dec. 12 of last year.
The following streets remain closed:
- Overland Avenue and Culver Boulevard
- Venice Boulevard and Overland Avenue
- Girard Avenue and Washington Boulevard
- Motor Avenue and Washington Boulevard
