by Christina Almeida, Associated Press
WEST COVINA, Calif. (AP) - Police confiscated an inactive pipe bomb and bomb-making materials in the garage and house occupied by a family of four.
“It was dangerous enough to probably take out the house they were living in and anyone who was inside,” said police Cpl. Rudy Lopez.
Working on a tip from San Bernardino County sheriff’s investigators, police searched the home and found the bomb, pipes used to make bombs, caps and an explosive powder, Lopez, a police spokesman, said.
Officers arrested Elwood and Luz Donnersbach and took their two children, ages 6 and 16, into protective custody.
The two were booked for investigation of child endangerment and possession of materials to manufacture explosive and destructive devices.
Luz Donnersbach, 41, was arrested at the home. Elwood, 46, was arrested at the auto transmission shop he manages in West Covina. The two were being held at a city jail. Bail was not immediately set.
It was not immediately clear why the couple had the bomb-making materials, but San Bernardino sheriff’s spokesman Chip Patterson, said they did not appear to be connected with any terrorist organization.
While sheriff’s bomb squads from San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties searched the home, a four-block radius of the surrounding neighborhood was blocked and five houses briefly evacuated, Lopez said.