Here’s the 411 and where it came from (thanks WOWT).
Eight homes were evacuated in La Vista Saturday morning when police found what they say was a pipe bomb. A neighbor near 7800 La Vista Drive reported a suspicious vehicle and that led to the discovery of the explosive.
The quiet La Vista neighborhood turned into a hot spot as authorities moved in around 8:30 a.m.
Cheryl Mace says, “I didn’t know if someone got hit by a car or what happened and I’m still not sure what’s going on.”
What was happening focused on the Jeep driven by 29-year-old Edward J.O’Neill.
La Vista Police Lieutenant D.J. Barcal says, “There are indicators he wasn’t who he claimed to be. Identification didn’t match the driver. Subsequent investigation led to his arrest.”
When officers first took the suspect into custody, they found drug paraphernalia, a pair of brass knuckles and then, 20-minutes later, they found the suspicious device.
Lt. Barcal says, “It was an extreme danger not only to the officers but to the residents who live on either side of the vehicle.”
Neighbors were moved out as the bomb squad moved in.
Lt. Barcal says the device was a, “homemade pipe bomb device — approximately four inches, capped on both ends. It was a metal device with a fuse four to five inches long wrapped around the device.”
The device was removed and neighbors were back in their homes by noon.
And in a possibly related story…
Explosive in Parking Lot
Shortly before 1 p.m., Omaha Police removed a pipe bomb from the parking lot of the PetsMart store at Oak View Mall on Saturday.
Authorities were called about a suspicious package and officers located the pipe bomb in the lot.
The bomb response unit was called and removed the explosive. It will be disposed of at a later date.
The officers also located what appeared to be two incendiary devices that the suspect attempted to detonate. The devices were removed from the scene.
La Vista police say the device found at the pet store is similar to the one recovered in La Vista. The investigations continue but the two incidents have not been formally connected.
Apparently Nebraska is the place to be if you are making bombs in your basement. Good grief!
