The Region : Bomb Found in Man’s Car at Hospital

A man stopped for a traffic violation in a hospital parking lot was arrested for carrying a homemade bomb in his car, Downey police said. Officers also found a bayonet, a dead cat and what appeared to be three smaller pipe bombs in the car driven by Aaron James Menard, 25, of Downey who said he was an unemployed mechanic, Sgt. William Courtney said. Security guards at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital stopped the car for a traffic violation, Courtney said. Police were notified after guards found the dead animal and explosives. Bomb squad officers defused a homemade device that was fashioned from a fire extinguisher shell, black explosive powder and a firecracker, Courtney said. The three devices resembling pipe bombs were also taken from the car. Menard, wanted on assault charges in Orange County, was jailed in lieu of $60,000 bail, police said.