Bomber strikes Arnold bus stop

An 8-inch pipe bomb exploded in Arnold just after midnight Monday, damaging a bus stop along Highway 4.

Deputies responding to reports of an explosion in the area found debris — including intact portions of the bomb — strewn across the highway and Lilac Drive, according to a Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department statement.
 

Neighbors reported hearing the explosion but did not see any suspects, though one reported hearing a vehicle circling the area, the statement said.

An investigation by the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad and detectives revealed the pipe bomb to be 8 inches long and 3 inches wide.

It is believed it partially malfunctioned due to its construction, said the statement.

Evidence found at the scene will be sent to the Department of Justice to be analyzed.

It is at least the second pipe bomb found in the Mother Lode this year.

In February, a pipe bomb was discovered in the parking lot of The Junction shopping center in Sonora. The Calaveras County’s Bomb Squad, after securing the area, safely detonated the device.