Fake Pipe Bomb Prompts Scare At Merrionette Tobacco Shop
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A suspected bomb thrown into a south suburban tobacco shop Wednesday evening turned out to be a fake device but caused a scare in Merrionette Park.
Shortly after 5:30 p.m., a hooded suspect, apparently a teenager, threw a "beeping" device that appeared to be a pipe bomb into Tobacco City, 3281 W. 115th St., according to Sgt. Jon Bruce of the Merrionette Park Police Department.
A customer grabbed the device and threw it back outside the store, where it landed about 10 feet from the entrance, Bruce said.
When officers arrived less than a minute later, they called the fire department and the Cook County Bomb Squad, which eventually exploded to device and determined it was a fake, Bruce said.
At least one suspect was seen on surveillance footage at the strip mall, and another suspect may also be on the run, Bruce said. No one was in custody Wednesday night.
Authorities didn't know if the shop was targeted, and there had been no known issues at the store before the incident, Bruce said.
About five people were in the store at the time, Bruce said. No injuries were reported.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2018. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
