Youth Arrested in Explosives Case
A 17-year-old Sylmar youth has been arrested on suspicion of possessing homemade explosive devices and the materials to make them, police said Thursday.
The arrest was made Wednesday night in connection with an investigation into at least a dozen reported bomb explosions in the San Fernando Valley and elsewhere, police said. Three Sylmar men who police said are friends of the teen-ager were arrested late Monday on similar charges.
The boy’s parents turned the youth in to Los Angles police at the Foothill station, said Detective Richard Kensic. He was later released to his parents’ custody, police said.
Kensic said he was not aware of any political motive in the bombings, which destroyed mailboxes, trash cans and vehicles. No one was injured in the blasts, he said.
Meanwhile, the three Sylmar men were arraigned Thursday in San Fernando Municipal Court.
Mark LaCasella, 19, Melvin Patton, 19, and Timothy Imre, 18, were formally charged with two counts each of possessing explosive devices. Patton and Imre were also charged with one count each of possessing the materials for manufacturing explosive devices.
Kensic described the devices as pipe bombs consisting of metal casings and plastic ends.
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