2 Possible Pipe Bombs Discovered Outside Liquor Store
LONGMONT, Colo. (CBS4) - Two people looking for aluminum cans in a garbage can found two possible pipe bombs in a trash can located outside of a liquor store in Longmont on Wednesday morning.
The people went inside Twin Peaks liquor store in the 900 block of South Hover Street and told the owner about 10:45 a.m. Wednesday. The store owner called police and officers cordoned off the area.
Eric Longeo works at the Twin Peaks Liquor Store next to where the alleged pipe bombs were discovered. He says the can hunters looking for recyclables found the devices and worried police would think they had placed them there.
"He was more nervous that he actually touched it and said his fingerprints were on it," says Longeo.
Officers from the Longmont Police Department and crews from Longmont Fire Department responded and called the Boulder County Bomb Squad to assist in the investigation.
A device had battery casings and bullets taped to the outside. Witnesses took pictures but police have asked news agencies to not publish those images saying releasing the photos would harm the investigation.
"When I looked at it I was like, 'Oh yeah,' it definitely looked like it was rigged to do something," Longeo said.
Several streets around the liquor store were closed including Bent Way from Hover Street to Drycreek Drive and Drycreek from Trade Center to Nelson Road. After the bomb squad removed the devices to a safe location, business returned to normal around the scene.
The Twin Peaks liquor store was closed during the investigation. Other stores in the area remained open.
It was unclear whether the devices were active. No other devices were located in the area.
There was no surveillance video covering the trash can where the devices were found.
Police have made no arrests and currently have no suspects.
