Simulated bomb found in Tucson supermarket
KVOA Tucson Channel 4 News ^ | Lorraine Rivera





Tucson Police evacuated the Safeway store on Prince road and Campbell avenue for much of Saturday afternoon and into evening after an employee spotted a suspicious package.


According to police, an employee called police at about 2:14 p.m. Saturday afternoon after spotting a package below the customer service counter.
Sgt. Decio Hopffer said that when the bomb squad arrived and evacuated the store, "The bomb technician saw things in it that led them to believe that this was a live device and they had to take the necessary precautions to make sure no one was going to get hurt."


Hopffer would not elaborate on what exactly was in the plastic cylinder device but said it contained a cut PVC pipe.


"We found this to be a simulated device, it would not have gone off by itself," Hopffer said.


Authorities shut down traffic several times while the Tucson police bomb squad made three attempts to detonate the device.


Hopffer said the rounds included high velocity and water.


The Safeway store reopened late Saturday night after several bomb sniffing dogs combed the area and officers deemed it safe for business.