ST. PAUL, Minn.- Over the weekend, police arrested two men for possession of a pipe bomb in their car.
Police were originally called to the scene when a woman was threatened at gunpoint by one of the men involved. The man fled the scene in the car where the pipe bomb was later discovered, eventually being stopped at the intersection of Maryland Avenue and Lake Place.
Police blocked off and evacuated residents from the neighborhood around where the vehicle was parked. The bomb squad was sent in to investigate the vehicle where it was revealed that there was a pipe bomb in the car’s trunk. Police also found two handguns in the car.
In an interview with the Star Tribune, police spokesman Steve Linder indicated that while the police have found pipe bombs in the past, this was a “very rare” occurrence for the police department.
“In the scheme of things….a minute percentage of [police calls] involve suspected car bombs,” Linder told the Star Tribune.
The officers arrested a 37-year-old man from Roseville, Frederic Pittman, and 40-year-old Monttraill Lamar Clark from St. Louis. It is expected that both men will be charged with possession of an explosive device and possession of stolen firearms. The men were both booked in the Ramsey County Jail. Pittman had several previous traffic convictions prior to the events this weekend.
According to Fox 9, the FBI will also be assisting in the investigation.
In May, Alpha News reported on the investigation two men who possessed a hand grenade, a handgun, two rifles, and a large quantity of ammunition. One of the rifles was an AK-47, according to the police department. In this situation, the police were also alerted to their presence due to the actions of a pedestrian.
