Bomb squad called to Lakeview Commons
A pressure cooker similar to what was used in the Boston Marathon bombing was blown up in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday night by the Tahoe Douglas Fire Protection Fire District bomb squad.
South Lake Tahoe police officers wasted no time in calling in the neighboring agency to take care of the suspicious device after what happened in Boston, where three people were killed and more than 260 were injured by homemade pressure cooker bombs.
The apparatus — which was actually a ricer cooker — was found at Lakeview Commons on June 30 after the Race the Lake of the Sky stand up paddleboard races concluded.
Tahoe Douglas Fire Department’s bomb robot at Lakeview Commons on June 30. Photo/Jonathan Moore
Eric Guevin with Tahoe Douglas Fire told Lake Tahoe News the cooker was found by a bear-proof garbage can, but it looked like it didn’t fit — so people left it by the side.
He said the robot was sent in for recon, but it was not possible to get an X-ray of the cooker. That is why it was decided to blow up the device on scene.
Food was all that was inside.
Knowing what happened 3,000 mile away, authorities decided to blow up the cooker onsite instead of taking it elsewhere.
Traffic on Highway 50 was diverted for about an hour. Pedestrians were also blocked from the area for their safety.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
ALL THE GOVERMENT AGENCIES IN SOUTH TAHOE WASTE THE TAX PAYERS MONEY WITH EXCESIVE SPENDING ON THINGS THEY DONT NEED FROM CPS TO THE POLICE!Im sorry but They always make a mountain out of molehill and would do anything to make you think that all the money they waste on new cars every 5 years police bikes used 3 months out of the year Etc is justified Law enforcement in South Tahoe is a joke and pathetic.I don’t know how the tax payers of the community stand such filth. Tahoe understand The police the sheriff ,CPS the courts. Don’t have all the trouble they they want you to think they have every ticket given evey court date set is all set up for them to get your money and spend it on useless un-needed things and this bomb thing is just a show to trick you into thinking that there are real police force with real Metro city problems and it just not true all the cops in town need to go to a metro city if they really want to have (Real Problems) and if they want to be Real Cops and deal with the stuff real cops face everyday.Stop trying to make the news with your exaggerated lies. It make the people of this town sick!! Again All it was was Trash In the Trash DUH!
Pretty sad if they can’t tell a pressure cooker from a rice cooker. . .
You can’t fix stupid !
I can’t believe the previous comments. So sad that their time is spent on degrading individuals who work hard everyday to keep our community safe; one in which kids can play and the community members can walk about. I’m not really sure why disgruntled individuals continue to live here. There are so many other places to be. I for one am very glad that a citizen took it upon themselves to report it, that the team came, and that it turned out only to be food. The way in which we need to react isn’t a chosen one. It’s because the “few” crazy people in this world who have no regard for others have created this situation. Regardless of what you just read from others, if you see something out of place, do something about it. Don’t be a bystander. I have an idea….if you feel these situations don’t warrant the team of highly trained individuals, why don’t you volunteer to go in first? Then you can resolve two issues. You can save the taxpayers money and you can caulk up some volunteer service hours. Sorry for the sarcasm so early in the morning.
Well said Lisa. Thank you for your post.
Lisa,
You are so right. The whole world could be so much better if people kept an eye out for each other and cared to be involved instead of playing the blame game and only thinking of themselves, keeping their eyes closed so as not to become involved. Very sad.
We should all be thanking the SLPD and those that serve so we can live more safely.
Sadly, I agree with Lisa. . .as someone who finished off the SUP event of the entire weekend with our latest ‘drama’, of course the similes were flying there – reminiscing about the Harvey’s explosion in 1980, various tidbits about how suspicions arose: it was a “brand-new” cooker, but had no cord; it was nowhere near a picnic table, so why would someone place it “there” (?) etc., etc., etc., . . .but the reality is, had something untoward actually happened, the real outcry would have been much more intense, and the damage perhaps much more heart-breaking
. . . so now we know once again the meaning of ‘better to be safe than sorry’ . . .
At worst, a training exercise rather that a real tragedy. . . and no one there seemed all that bothered by it, patiently letting them all go about their work. . .
Thanks to all for that work . . .
Thank god they took the precautions needed to keep the community safe. Better safe than sorry in these times
Well said Lisa. I think we should start a list of volunteers like John Doe, who know everything is a conspiracy theory to get his/her money. I hope JD has some first hand knowledge of his real problems, real cops statement (because Tahoe’s not real world?) to back up his words otherwise he’s just another ass clown. GMAB,,,
Lisa is right and John Doe would be the first to rail again the police if they had ignored this and it HAD been a bomb! I say err on the side of caution
Lisa Huard:
Thank you for so eloquently stating the reality of today’s world, even in little old South Lake Tahoe. This article said that “the robot was sent in for recon, but it was not possible to get an X-ray of the cooker.” If an X-ray of the cooker wasn’t possible the only reasonable and safe course of action is to assume a worst case scenario. Unfortunately not doing so is no longer an option in the world we live in.
Dogula, as a gun enthusiast weren’t you trained that if someone points a firearm at you that the assumption is that it’s loaded? Or do you wait until the first round goes off?
4-mer, as a long time user of rice cookers, I would always assume it was loaded with rice. A rice cooker would make an exceptionally bad bomb container-they are designed so that the lid cannot be attached to the pot and must always be very loose to release steam. Unlike a pressure cooker, which can build up an intense amount of pressure before it blows your homemade jelly to kingdom come.
Sounds to me like Mr. Doe would volunteer next time to approach and investigate the suspect device. Unless, of course, he thinks clean up of his scattered limbs would be a waste of time and resources …
Dogula:
As a never time user of rice cookers or pressure cookers I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the two devices and wouldn’t know how either one works. Apparently my wife doesn’t either. So that unfamiliarly coupled with witnessing the numerous methods that deviously creative people have come up with to inflict harm on the masses makes me always opt on the side of caution now.
May your rice always be fluffy and your homemade jelly in jars and not on the ceiling.
LOL! Thank you, 4-Mer. Perhaps with the way the world is headed, the PD needs some culinary experts on staff for purposes of cookware ID.
I have a Krups rice cooker that could easily be scene as bomb material.
I think Dogula should be hired by the community to come to advise on these and all law enforcement issues, thus providing the ability to eliminate the wrong conclusion. That’s very helpful to any investigation.
I am conflicted on this one. It seems silly they went through all this, but then who leaves a Rice cooker by the public trash in a public place? And South Shore is one of the few places in the country where an actual BOMB has been placed and detonated. But that was a blackmail for money plot (Correct)?
BB, I had to pull up a picture of the Krups. That’s the first rice cooker I’ve ever seen with a locking lid. Pretty scary looking. . .
The level of response seems to be the question. Once something suspicious is reported, what is appropriate?
Does the police dept. say it doesn’t warrant the time and money to investigate and then get sued if something happens? Does the police dept. send in every squad car, every fire engine and call in outside help like I was told happened here? That sounds like possibly overkill. How do you balance both protecting the public and your budget? I don’t have the answer.
Look I wouldent of had to jump on anyone’s case considering that here was only food if that in the cooker Again All the police do in this town is PUMP FEAR into everyone and if something were to happen and there was a Bomb That’s god’s way the world is over populated anyway and I would feel the same if my family were to get caught up in a restraunt shooting or a bomb and being a local for 30 years there is nothing the police or government agencies wouldent do to get more funds for stuff this town dosent need whats next?! you will see an APC rolling down the steet for a raid on some pot dealers The police in town already misuse there resources already either way I don’t care if you agree or disagree life is life and humans need to stop try to save everyone if you die because of your own stupidity or accidentally people die don’t use that for a excuse to make more laws that serve no other then creating a Police state And Lisa I know you have a husband that’s a cop and would stick up for law enforcement here in town the fact is its just not the same when he did his job he was a grat man and a great cop but Time’s have changed the the police wont be happy until there is marshall law the SLTPD are a bunch of thugs anyway and the Again to make a mountain out of a molehill is what they do South Tahoe Don’t be scared we live in a time of lies and falsehood do be vigilant but think honestly who would do such a thing Kidnapping IS way more of a threat here then someone trying to kill a bunch of people watcjing a boat race Please use you heads and understand this was nothing but a scare tactics to make you feel unsecure Nothing more.
Lisa I would gladly go first anytime just ask! Again all that was there was food. Thing look out of place all the time Our government has everyone scared to walk down the street Im sure if it was a real bomb that I would of been hidden better like in Boston to max out on casualties there are books, internet and multi ave’s to adrees there’s issues that’s all im says this was botched from the start and all it took was so scaredy cat that our government and news media has scared be beyond belief.
At least the cops were doing something better & more productive then eating pancakes like they usually do!
They couldn’t X-Ray metal. What a shock! After all the problems our PD has had over the past year or so, I do not find my collection of Keystone Kops videos funny anymore. Come on man! Overreaction is just as bad for your image as not reacting at all. Someone decided to involve all this manpower and equipment (at who knows what cost to the taxpayers) as well as tying up traffic without an accurate assesment of the situation.
This is another fine mess you’ve gotten us into Ollie!
John doe,
Well, that was certainly an enigmatic communiqué. I hope you’re feeling better now.
I feel fine it’s not like im mad or anything just know better.
It’s very difficult to read an “enigmatic communique” or otherwise, when it’s written in that format. Posters, you need to realize many readers will choose to skip a post written without the use of any grammatical tools whatsoever.
JD and dog face, you and your pathetic comments and accusations are, once again, so predictable.
Thanks to the Police and the local experts that helped to make a safe outcome of this situation. It could have been a different outcome and, unfortunatly, we dont know till we take care of the problem. Better safe than sorry.