‘HORRIBLE idea’: Kent police call bomb squad after explosive brought to business

Police in Kent are urging the public not to transport explosives after multiple devices were brought to the police department building and one to a business.

According to the Kent Police Department (KPD) via a Facebook post, earlier this week a man found something he thought might be a bomb and took it to a local business. Police said the man thought the business could help him dispose of the item.

“We want to emphatically express to you that this is a HORRIBLE idea,” KPD stated

The business then called 911. KPD’s Sergeant Clay and his crew responded and called in the Port of Seattle Bomb Squad.

“We have been well trained to not move, pick up or otherwise disturb anything that might blow us up,” KPD stated in the post.

Kent officers then guarded the scene until the bomb squad arrived and disassembled the homemade device. Personnel from the Port of Seattle told Kent police that if the device exploded, it would have caused significant harm to anyone close by.

There’s more: Other ‘interesting devices’ brought in

But that’s not all. KPD reported that over the years, some “interesting” devices have been brought to the police department building.

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A woman brought in a “very old wooden box” that had multiple small explosive devices inside that her husband had brought home from “the war,” stated police. The woman then asked for officers to help her get the box out of the car and into the lobby because the box was too heavy.

Another person brought in fireworks that had “been significantly altered to the point that if the had exploded in his trunk he would have at a bare minimum lost the back end of his car,” reported KPD.

Police listed dangerous items including:

• Old military devices that have explosive powder/liquid, even if someone said it has been “made safe.”
• Fireworks that have been altered including several wrapped together to release a bigger boom. “People do this every year causing injuries ranging from burns to loss of fingers and toes,” reported police.
• Old fireworks that have been sitting around a long time.
• Anything handmade that has explosive powder/liquid.

The department reiterated that traveling with an explosive device is a terrible idea.

“Please do not transport explosives by car, on foot, on bike, on horseback or any other way. Please just don’t. Explosives are dangerous, and even the ok ones can become unstable over time,” stated KPD.

If you own something like this, or find it somewhere, do the only smart thing and call 911. DO NOT transport it. DO NOT pick it up. We don’t pick them up and neither should you. Do what KPD does …. decide to keep all your digits and let the experts deal with it,” added the department.

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X, formerly known as Twitter, here and email her here.