Deputies Find Pipe Bombs on Graffiti Suspect
A 17-year-old Duarte high school student, caught Thursday by sheriff’s deputies as he allegedly scrawled initials on a building at his high school, was found to be carrying seven homemade pipe bombs that he told authorities were for use in “an experiment.”
The Duarte High School 11th grader, whose name was withheld because of his age, was arrested on suspicion of vandalism and possession of destructive devices. No one was injured in the arrest. The youth was released to the custody of his father.
Deputies had spotted the youth as he was allegedly scribbling on an office facade, said Deputy Mary Landreth of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
In a hiking pack strapped to the youth’s waist, deputies found a 4- by 1-inch section of PVC tubing, and six smaller sections of the same material, all filled with “pyrotechnic powder,” said Landreth, and all with fuses attached.
He was also carrying 11 marking pens, Landreth added, including the red marker he was using to write his “tagging” club’s name when he was arrested.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
