Police, unit respond to suspicious bag; contents harmless

Auburn Police and the Federal Way Bomb Disposal Unit responded to the 900 block of Pike Street Northeast on Wednesday morning to investigate a citizen report of a suspicious bag that appeared to contain explosives.

By Robert Whale • August 19, 2009 7:53 pm
Auburn Police and the Federal Way Bomb Disposal Unit responded to a suspicious bag stuffed with explosives in an Auburn neighborhood. The unit brought out a robot to help dispose of the bag. Later
Auburn Police and the Federal Way Bomb Disposal Unit responded to a suspicious bag stuffed with explosives in an Auburn neighborhood. The unit brought out a robot to help dispose of the bag. Later

Auburn Police and the Federal Way Bomb Disposal Unit responded to the 900 block of Pike Street Northeast on Wednesday morning to investigate a citizen report of a suspicious bag that appeared to contain explosives.

But the contents turned out to be fairly harmless.

“It was a duffel bag, and it had fireworks in it, like bottle rockets and things,” Auburn Police Sgt. David Colglazier said Wednesday afternoon. “Along with the fireworks, there were a couple of softball-size, taped-up items that looked they might have contained home-made explosives.”

The bomb disposal unit used a robot to check out the bag, then detonated it, whereupon the suspicious items revealed they were made of harmless paper and rope. Nobody was hurt.

“When that thing went off, it made a loud explosion that blew gunpowder all over the house,” said Pike Place resident Terri Rockwell.

Police don’t know how the bag came to be there or who put the items inside.

Long after the bomb disposal unit completed its work, personnel demonstrated the robot to neighborhood children.

“The kids came over, and these guys from Federal Way were nice and brought the robot out to demonstrate it. Auburn police did a really good job keeping the cul de sac secured,” Rockwell said.