Boy, 15, Injured Dismantling Bomb He Made

A 15-year-old boy dismantling a self-made pipe bomb in his bedroom was injured Sunday afternoon when the device unexpectedly detonated, authorities said.

After the boy, whose name was not released due to his age, was taken to the hospital, sheriff’s deputies found a second pipe bomb in the house in the 6600 block of Dume Drive, said Lt. John O’Brien of the Malibu / Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station.

After several nearby homes were evacuated, the second bomb was safely removed and detonated by the Sheriff’s Arson / Explosives Detail, O’Brien said.

Sheriffs’ deputies were notified by authorities at Columbia Los Robles Hospital in Thousand Oaks when the boy’s father brought the youth--who had minor cuts and burns on his hands--there for treatment.

Deputies went to the hospital and the youth told them he was injured while attempting to dismantle a pipe bomb, O’Brien said. He also told deputies where they could find a second incendiary device in his bedroom.

“It was just a small device,” O’Brien said, noting that deputies simply carried it to the backyard to detonate it. No other explosives were found in the home.

The boy, who received several stitches on his hands, was booked for possession of a destructive device. He was released to his parents, O’Brien said.

“I think it’s just a kid fooling around with stuff, frankly,” said O’Brien. “He has no juvenile record.”