False Bomb Threat Forces Closure of Freeway Exchange

A man claiming to have explosives in the back of his rental truck parked the vehicle on one of Los Angeles’ busiest freeway interchanges Friday evening, creating havoc for thousands of Christmas Eve motorists in Ontario.

The junction of the San Bernardino Freeway and Interstate 15 was closed near the huge Ontario Mills shopping mall, backing up traffic for miles in all directions. Police also evacuated the nearby AmeriSuites Hotel and the southeast portion of the mall.

No explosives were found, officials said. The truck’s driver, identified as 35-year-old Fred Rios of Riverside, surrendered to police about 40 minutes after he parked the vehicle on the freeway. Police took two of Rios’ children from the truck.

Holiday shoppers and travelers waited for hours while the Ontario Fire Department bomb squad sent a robot to examine the U-Haul truck that was stopped on the southbound I-15 connector to the eastbound San Bernardino Freeway.

The incident began about 3:30 p.m., when Rios allegedly called the California Highway Patrol on his cell phone and told a dispatcher he had a bomb in the truck. He soon called his wife to come and pick up his 5-year-old and 1-year-old children, said CHP Officer Eric Phipps. Officers from the Highway Patrol, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department and the Ontario Police Department converged on the location about the time Rios’ wife arrived at the scene. Police halted traffic in both directions on both freeways.

Officers were able to contact Rios on his cell phone, and he surrendered about 40 minutes later without incident, said Ontario Police Officer Alfredo Parra.

Rios was booked on suspicion of making a bomb threat. His wife reported that he was distraught because of marital and financial difficulties, Parra said.

The San Bernardino Freeway is the major route for travel between Los Angeles and Inland Empire communities such as San Bernardino and Ontario. The I-15 is the main route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The interchange is also in the vicinity of Ontario International Airport.