Heather Curtis
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – Baltimore City Mayor Jack Young said after hours of investigating a suspicious van parked in a garage on East Pratt Street, they have not found a bomb. A four block radius near the Inner Harbor remained closed for hours while local and federal law enforcment agencies investigated.
“The van was loaded with diesel fuel, and it had some cables running to it that made it look like that it was probably going to be something more serious,” Baltimore City Police Col. Rich Worley.
When bomb technicians saw there were cables running into the 15 passenger van, Worley said they went inside and found those cables were part of a rigged device meant to pump the stolen fuel out of the bins so it could be re-sold. He added diesel fuel isn’t nearly as ignitable as other fuels.
Worely said they went to the van’s owner’s residence to question the person and find out why the van was parked in that location.
Someone called 911 around 9 a.m. to report a possible gas leak from the van. Officials originally said there were 1,000 gallons of gas in the van, but Worley said they aren’t sure how much was in the bins but did not think it was a lot.
The arson unit was investigating in the garage, and the van will be taken back to the crime lab for further investigation, according to Worley.
There are no reports of injuries.
Copyright 2019 by WMAL.com. All Rights Reserved. (Photo: Mayor Jack Young via Twitter)
