Investigators have not concluded when the faux pipe bomb was planted or how long it lingered in the landscaping around the Library parking lot because the area is the scene of near-continuous vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
“It was not in a really obvious location right in the center of the parking lot,” UPD Chief Tom Dewey said. “Rather it was over to the side in front of some cars that were parked [near] some landscaping. So it was not something that was immediately noticeable by most people on campus.”
Police will press felony charges pending an arrest because the suspect device was crafted to appear genuine, Dewey said. No threats were received, he said.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office bomb squad fired a small, disintegrating projectile at the pipe, which did not detonate.
The pipe was found Tuesday, Sept. 23 by a citizen near a row of cars at the north end of the parking lot and the UPD was alerted at 4:21 p.m.
UPD immediately began sealing off the area, including Library Circle and the bus stop, and ultimately L.K. Wood Boulevard from Harpst Street to the 101 interchange. Arcata Police, the Arcata Fire Department, Arcata Voluntary Patrol, Humboldt State’s Campus Emergency Response Team (CERT) and University Housing staff assisted at the scene.
Authorities swept the cordoned area and found no other suspect objects or packages.
For more information, visit the HSU Emergency Conditions page.