Holly MatkinPomona, CA – A patient who was brought to the Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center’s emergency room by ambulance on Monday night was found to be carrying a pipe bomb, according to police.
Investigators said a security K9 at the hospital detected the explosive device inside the medical facility at approximately 9 p.m. on Aug. 15, the Pomona Police Department (PPD) said in a press release.
Security personnel said they subsequently located a pipe bomb on a patient who had been brought to the hospital from West Covina by an ambulance, according to police.
The device was described as a capped PVC pipe that had a fuse.
Although the hospital was not evacuated, the emergency room’s main entrance was shut down for approximately one hour, resulting in ambulances being diverted to other facilities.
Police also shut down Orange Grove Avenue between Artesia Street and Tate Avenue.
Breaking News In Pomona Bomb Squad Investigating suspicious item @elianamoreno reports pic.twitter.com/seoQ25G8sk
— PupScanLA (@PupscanLA) August 16, 2022
Officers with the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s (LASD) bomb squad responded to the medical facility and seized the device, which they were able to render “safe,” according to police.
They gave the situation an “all clear” at approximately 11:40 p.m., according to CBS News.
Investigators said the suspect did not intend to target the hospital, but they did not comment further on why the patient was carrying the explosive device, The Sacramento Bee reported.
The suspect’s identity was not immediately released.
The PPD said investigators are “working with an allied agency to determine the identity of the suspect and their location.”
An investigation into the incident remained ongoing, The Sacramento Bee reported.
