It was all about 'boarders, not bombs
Mount Shasta, Calif. -
After they’d been jostled by the Siskiyou County bomb unit’s water cannon and found to be harmless, the purpose of the three metal containers found in the Mt. Shasta Area Newspapers parking lot Thursday morning seemed a lot clearer.
They had probably been used the night before by skateboarders who failed to put their play things away, Mount Shasta Police Chief Parish Cross said.
Little did the joyriders know what would follow from their untidiness.
Businesses in the area, including the newspaper office, Supersaver Advertiser, Mt. View Auto Body and Ray-Mac Mechanical were evacuated for about two and half hours and a stretch of North Mount Shasta Blvd. was closed to traffic. One bike rider who was halted just south of the Auto Body shop waited it out as the two members of Siskiyou County’s bomb unit prepared and executed their security maneuvers.
Members of the Mount Shasta Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, CalFire, Mount Shasta Public Works Department and Mount Shasta Fire Department were nearby, just in case an explosion ensued, which authorities had deemed to be a remote possibility.
“Fire in the hole. Fire in the hole,” the bomb team called out from across the street as they used a long cable to trigger a water cannon, which shot a high powered stream from close range into the old metal container that had been placed by an unknown source near the curb in front of the newspaper office front door. The sound of the blast was loud enough to be heard from several blocks away as the water ripped a hole in the container, popped its lid open and knocked it on its side.
There was nothing dangerous inside, just rags and other garbage.
Then bomb unit members Bob Buker and Ben Grossman turned their attention to the two newspaper sales racks that had been carefully placed perfectly perpendicular to each in the newspaper office’s north parking lot sometime between the time the last employees departed on Wednesday evening and the first employees arrived Thursday morning.
Again by moving the containers it became clear that the racks had not been rigged with dastardly intent.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Chief Cross said after the fact.
“It’s always best to be safe,” said Sheriff Rick Riggins.
As word spread through town the story took on a life of its own. The true story does not include a note attached to the container. There were no threatening phone calls associated with the incident and no rats scurried out of the old metal box.
The newspaper decided to call MSPD after employees maneuvered around the racks while parking Thursday morning and couldn’t figure out what in the world the old metal container in front of the building was all about. (It was later learned that it had been moved from behind the Mt. View Auto Body shop.)
Back in the day they might not have thought twice before moving them and getting on with their business. But things have changed.
The MSPD looked the situation over, couldn’t determine if there was danger involved or not and made the call to notify the bomb unit.
“We’re probably doing a lot more than we need to,” Chief Cross said while waiting for the bomb unit to arrive, “but you never know.”
Sheriff Riggins said some people think there’s little reason to worry about acts of terrorism because this is Siskiyou County, but he pointed out that Grossman was called to the scene in Yreka last August to stabilize 17 improvised explosive devises that were part of an arsenal belonging to a man who was arrested after he assaulted law enforcement officers.
Riggins said the county bomb experts, who are both detectives with the Sheriff’s Office, deal with bomb threats 8 to 10 times a year. They also get contacted some 30 to 40 times a year for various situations involving people who plan to use dynamite or people who find dynamite at old mines and other situations.
“It’s nice to know we have officers who are trained when you need them,” Riggins said, noting that Grossman and Buker recently participated in further training for the new robot the county will soon aquire.
The robot, which is designed to make bomb defusing incidents faster and safer, is being purchased with grant money and was required in order for the bomb unit to maintain its accreditation. It’s expected to be received in the next week or two.
Riggins said the robot has a camera and is able to blow locks off containers and look inside.
“Homeland Security made it a priority and will fund a good portion of it,” Riggins said.
Shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday morning everything started returning to business as usual on N. Mt. Shasta Blvd.
The skateboarder theory seemed so obvious in retrospect, right down to the rolled up doormat Supersaver Charlie found in front of the office when he arrived at work. Upon closer inspection, skateboard tracks could be seen on the mat.
By Steve Gerace
Bob Buker, one of two trained bomb unit experts in Siskiyou County, is dressed in protective gear as he sets up equipment that will jostle the sales racks that were placed by unknown sources in the center of the north parking lot at Mt. Shasta Area Newspapers Thursday morning. The test shake found the racks to be harmless, and it is now thought that they were merely being used by skateboarders who failed to put them back where they got them.
After they’d been jostled by the Siskiyou County bomb unit’s water cannon and found to be harmless, the purpose of the three metal containers found in the Mt. Shasta Area Newspapers parking lot Thursday morning seemed a lot clearer.
They had probably been used the night before by skateboarders who failed to put their play things away, Mount Shasta Police Chief Parish Cross said.
Little did the joyriders know what would follow from their untidiness.
Businesses in the area, including the newspaper office, Supersaver Advertiser, Mt. View Auto Body and Ray-Mac Mechanical were evacuated for about two and half hours and a stretch of North Mount Shasta Blvd. was closed to traffic. One bike rider who was halted just south of the Auto Body shop waited it out as the two members of Siskiyou County’s bomb unit prepared and executed their security maneuvers.
Members of the Mount Shasta Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, CalFire, Mount Shasta Public Works Department and Mount Shasta Fire Department were nearby, just in case an explosion ensued, which authorities had deemed to be a remote possibility.
“Fire in the hole. Fire in the hole,” the bomb team called out from across the street as they used a long cable to trigger a water cannon, which shot a high powered stream from close range into the old metal container that had been placed by an unknown source near the curb in front of the newspaper office front door. The sound of the blast was loud enough to be heard from several blocks away as the water ripped a hole in the container, popped its lid open and knocked it on its side.
There was nothing dangerous inside, just rags and other garbage.
Then bomb unit members Bob Buker and Ben Grossman turned their attention to the two newspaper sales racks that had been carefully placed perfectly perpendicular to each in the newspaper office’s north parking lot sometime between the time the last employees departed on Wednesday evening and the first employees arrived Thursday morning.
Again by moving the containers it became clear that the racks had not been rigged with dastardly intent.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” Chief Cross said after the fact.
“It’s always best to be safe,” said Sheriff Rick Riggins.
As word spread through town the story took on a life of its own. The true story does not include a note attached to the container. There were no threatening phone calls associated with the incident and no rats scurried out of the old metal box.
The newspaper decided to call MSPD after employees maneuvered around the racks while parking Thursday morning and couldn’t figure out what in the world the old metal container in front of the building was all about. (It was later learned that it had been moved from behind the Mt. View Auto Body shop.)
Back in the day they might not have thought twice before moving them and getting on with their business. But things have changed.
The MSPD looked the situation over, couldn’t determine if there was danger involved or not and made the call to notify the bomb unit.
“We’re probably doing a lot more than we need to,” Chief Cross said while waiting for the bomb unit to arrive, “but you never know.”
Sheriff Riggins said some people think there’s little reason to worry about acts of terrorism because this is Siskiyou County, but he pointed out that Grossman was called to the scene in Yreka last August to stabilize 17 improvised explosive devises that were part of an arsenal belonging to a man who was arrested after he assaulted law enforcement officers.
Riggins said the county bomb experts, who are both detectives with the Sheriff’s Office, deal with bomb threats 8 to 10 times a year. They also get contacted some 30 to 40 times a year for various situations involving people who plan to use dynamite or people who find dynamite at old mines and other situations.
“It’s nice to know we have officers who are trained when you need them,” Riggins said, noting that Grossman and Buker recently participated in further training for the new robot the county will soon aquire.
The robot, which is designed to make bomb defusing incidents faster and safer, is being purchased with grant money and was required in order for the bomb unit to maintain its accreditation. It’s expected to be received in the next week or two.
Riggins said the robot has a camera and is able to blow locks off containers and look inside.
“Homeland Security made it a priority and will fund a good portion of it,” Riggins said.
Shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday morning everything started returning to business as usual on N. Mt. Shasta Blvd.
The skateboarder theory seemed so obvious in retrospect, right down to the rolled up doormat Supersaver Charlie found in front of the office when he arrived at work. Upon closer inspection, skateboard tracks could be seen on the mat.
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