Police are looking for the person or persons who attempted to detonate an explosive device at the intersection of Ninth and Elm streets at about 2:36 p.m. on Monday.
“Neighbors suspect that it was thrown out of a vehicle,” Police Chief Bob Burford said. The device appeared to be a one-liter plastic bottle with fuel inside. Firecrackers of some type were wrapped in the device. Apparently the fuel ignited, but the firecrackers did not.
An elderly man who lives in the area saw the flames from the flames and grabbed a hose to put them out, Officer John Trahan said. A passerby in an SUV stopped and kicked the device into range of the hose.
“We will be canvassing the neighborhood to see if we can get a description of the suspects or the vehicle,” Chief Burford said. “We are concerned that the people that did this did not get the desired result and may keep experimenting. We cannot express enough how dangerous this item is.”
If it were to explode inside a vehicle, it would seriously injure and possibly kill any occupants, Chief Burford said. If it rolled under a car or caused property damage in any way, “we’ll be dealing with felonies and a potential for serious prison time. I just hope they quit while they’re ahead.”