A central Fresno Walmart was shuttered early Monday morning after shoppers thought they had discovered a pipe bomb placed near the entrance.
Police managed to secure the object, which was later clarified as not being an explosive device, without injury and reopen the store.
Driving the news: The Fresno Police Department’s Explosive Ordinance Disposal team was dispatched to the Walmart at Ashlan and Blackstone avenues around 7:30 a.m. Monday on reports of a pipe bomb found near the store’s entrance.
- EOD officials were able to remove the device and place it in a safe disposal container without incident.
- The store was closed and shoppers were advised to shelter-in-place while EOD operations occurred at the store.
- The Walmart was reopened around 9:30 a.m.
What they’re saying: “There is surveillance video, it is being reviewed right now,” said Fresno Police Officer Luke Tran to Nexstar. “It appears that somebody had dropped [the object] off earlier this morning but the suspect is unknown at this time.”
