Homemade Pipe Bomb Injures Malibu Teenager

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

The boy, whose name was not released, also had fashioned a second pipe bomb, said Sheriff’s Lt. John O’Brien. Deputies found and detonated that bomb in the backyard of the Dume Drive home after evacuating residents of several neighboring houses.

Hospital officials called deputies Sunday after the boy was brought in by his parents with cuts and burns on his hands. The teenager told authorities that he had been hurt as he tried to dismantle a pipe bomb, O’Brien said, and he told them where in his bedroom they could find a second device.

“It was just a small device,” O’Brien said, noting that deputies simply carried it to the backyard to detonate. No other explosives were found in the home. The boy was booked for possession of a destructive device and released to his parents, O’Brien said.

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