Suspected homemade pipe-bomb found during early morning Kelowna traffic stop

Suspected homemade pipe-bomb found during early morning Kelowna traffic stop | iNFOnews.ca
The view from the DriveBC webcam at the Great Bear Snowshed on the Coquihalla Highway looking south Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024., FILE PHOTO Credit: DriveBC Photographer: Kim Anderson

What appeared to be a homemade pipe-bomb was found Tuesday, Nov. 5, during an early morning traffic stop.

A frontline RCMP officer conducted a traffic stop at approximately 3:15 a.m., with a red Toyota Echo along Harvey Avenue (Highway 97) near Ambrosi Street in Kelowna.

“During his interaction with the driver, the officer spotted what appeared to be a home-made pipe bomb,” Cpl. Meghan Foster of the Kelowna RCMP said in a press release. “As a precaution, vehicular and pedestrian traffic in the area was diverted away from the man’s vehicle, until police could appropriately consult with the RCMP Explosive Disposal Unit in Vancouver.”

The driver, a 38-year-old man from Surrey, was positively identified by police and found to be a prohibited driver. He was taken into police custody without incident.

The vehicle has since been relocated to a safe location to allow RCMP bomb unit members to safely remove and disposed of the item.

The driver now faces potential charges. He was held in police custody, expected to appear in court today.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Kathy Michaels or call 250-718-0428 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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Kathy Michaels

Kathy Michaels

Kathy Michaels has been an Okanagan-based journalist for more than a decade, working for community papers along the valley and beyond.
She’s won provincial and national awards in business, news and feature writing and says that her love for telling a good story rivals only her fondness for turning a good phrase.
If you have a story that deserves to be told in a thoughtful and compassionate manner, don’t hesitate to reach out.
To reach Kathy call 250-718-0428 or email kmichaels@infonews.ca.

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