A 42-year-old San Marcos man was arrested Thursday, Aug. 20, after placing three PVC pipes constructed and labeled to look like explosive devices near a building entrance in the 5900 block of El Camino Real, according to the Carlsbad Police Department.
The incident forced an evacuation of the surrounding area and shut down Orion Road between El Camino Real and Faraday Avenue while the San Diego County Sheriff's Office Bomb/Arson Unit responded.
Carlsbad police and fire personnel arrived at approximately 11:41 a.m. after an employee reported finding three suspicious items on the ground near the building entrance. Officers located three cylindrical tubes that had been constructed and labeled to resemble explosive devices.
Bomb technicians safely secured and examined the items and determined they were not actual explosives.
During the investigation, officers identified the suspect and located him in connection with the incident.
He was booked on suspicion of two charges: placing or possessing a false or facsimile bomb with the intent to cause fear, under California Penal Code 148.1(d), and knowingly threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction with the specific intent to threaten, under Penal Code 11418.5. The first charge can be prosecuted as a felony carrying up to three years in state prison, according to Hoodline.
The 5900 block of El Camino Real sits in a commercial and industrial corridor in eastern Carlsbad near Faraday Avenue and Palomar Airport Road, an area populated by corporate offices and light industrial facilities. Police have not identified the specific business where the devices were found, and it remains unclear whether the suspect had any connection to it.
No motive has been disclosed.
The investigation is ongoing.
The Carlsbad Police Department said in its press release that it takes all bomb threats and reports of suspicious devices seriously, noting that even when items are determined not to be explosive, the incidents require a significant public safety response to protect the community and first responders.
Public Information Officer Denise Ramirez is directing communications on the case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Carlsbad Police Department at 442-339-2197.
