Student, 17, Held in Planting of Car Pipe Bomb
IRVINE — A 17-year-old Irvine boy was in custody Tuesday for possession of explosive materials and is suspected of conspiring to plant the pipe bomb found in a car in a Rancho Santa Margarita neighborhood, an Orange County sheriff’s spokesman said.
The University High School senior, who was not identified because of his age, was being held at Juvenile Hall after a search of his home last weekend turned up materials used to build bombs, according to Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Wilkerson.
The youth is being questioned about his suspected role in planting what authorities called a “somewhat sophisticated†pipe bomb that was found Friday beneath the hood of a car parked on Santa Teresa, a cul-de-sac off Alicia Parkway, Wilkerson said.
Bomb squad officers disarmed the device. The bomb was discovered by Sean La, 18, as he approached the car, which belonged to a friend and was parked in front of La’s home. Wiring visible beneath the car signaled the danger, La said.
La told investigators that some gang members he confronted two months ago at Palace Park in Irvine had threatened him and mentioned car bombs, Wilkerson said.
Investigators searched several Irvine homes early Saturday, and more suspects are being sought, Wilkerson said. The boy in custody and others may face more serious charges, such as attempted murder, as the inquiry moves forward, Wilkerson said.
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