Crime & Safety

Bomb Squad Destroys Suspicious Device Outside Carlsbad Library

The Cole Library was evacuated and the street was blocked off after a device with wiring and a battery was discovered at 8:18 a.m.

A 2-inch-by-10-inch piece of clay with wiring and a battery was discovered outside the main doors of the  on Carlsbad Village Drive at 8:18 a.m., said Lt. Kelly Cain with Carlsbad Police. “We got a call from maintenance workers with the city of Carlsbad who found a suspicious device.”

The San Diego Sheriff's bomb and arson unit was called to the scene. Within two hours of arrival, they “detonated the device using their robots before approaching on foot with their gear on,” Cain said. The scene was declared cleared by 11 a.m. after surrounding areas were checked. 

The library opens at 9 a.m., so only staff members were inside at the time of the discovery of the device. About 50 employees were evacuated from the library and which is adjacent to the library.

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No warning letters or notes were found Wednesday morning. No suspect information is available at this time and an investigation is continuing. Authorities called the bomb threat a hoax after determining it was not an explosive device.

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