THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 18, 1996 TAG: 9605180284
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Short : 31 lines
Whatever it was, it won't hurt anyone now - if it ever could.
A ``suspicious device'' found in a cabinet at Hall Pontiac in the 3100 block of Virginia Beach Blvd. was taken away by the police department bomb squad Friday night and ``rendered safe,'' but authorities are still uncertain if it was an explosive.
Police said an employee took the device, that had the appearance of a pipe bomb, to a security officer about 5 p.m. He said he had found it in a storage area. The officer had him place it on the floor and then evacuated the building and called police.
The bomb squad attempted to deal with the device at the scene, but were unable to. They took it to an undisclosed location. The remains of the device will be sent to a state laboratory for examinination.
Police cautioned that anyone finding a suspicious or unusual device should not try to move it, but should instead contact authorities and report its location.
The incident is under investigation by the Fire Department arson squad.
KEYWORDS: EXPLOSIVES BOMBS by CNB