Tucson police found an explosive device after conducting a traffic stop at the parking lot of El Super Saturday morning in Tucson’s south side, officials said.
Officers pulled a vehicle over in the grocery store parking lot and while questioning the driver, an officer saw what looked like an explosive device in the center console, said Sgt. Pete Dugan, Tucson Police Department spokesman.
While officers investigated the incident, business owners at El Super and Panda Express, near Interstate 10 and Sixth Avenue, asked customers to evacuate the businesses, Dugan said.
The Tucson Police Department bomb squad team determined the device in question was an improvised explosive device, meaning it was manmade, Dugan said. The bomb squad removed the device from the car and will counter charge it then take it apart and dispose of it, he said.
The officer asked the driver to step out of the vehicle and detained him for further questioning, Dugan said. When the officer asked the passenger to step out of the vehicle, the passenger tried to run. Officers stopped the man and he tried to fight them, Dugan said. The passenger had a gun and methamphetamine on him.
The passenger was not allowed to have a firearm on him, and was charged with a felony for prohibited possessor and a felony dangerous drug, Dugan said.
The car did not belong to either of the men, Dugan said.
The passenger was taken into custody but the driver was released, Dugan said. Additional charges are pending for both men as officers continue to investigate.
