Possible pipe bomb found on Highway 99 not a pipe bomb after all

The cylindrical piece of metal found on Highway 99 on Sunday morning initially thought to be a pipe bomb turned out to be harmless, according to Fresno police Lt. David Ramsey.

The object contained construction papers inside of it. “A construction guy’s briefcase of sorts,” said Ramsey, adding the object could have fallen off one of the trucks.

Caltrans was doing a scheduled sweep of the center divider around 8 a.m. on northbound Highway 99 south of Belmont Avenue when workers found what California Highway Patrol officer and spokesman Vic Taylor described as a cylindrical piece of metal with caps – assumed to be a pipe bomb.

The Fresno Police Department’s bomb squad was called in to remove the object, halting all traffic in the number 1 and 2 lanes. Traffic began flowing again at around 10:20 a.m., after the object was transferred into the bomb squad’s truck, where it was taken to check if it was active or inert, Taylor said.

This story was originally published November 19, 2017 at 11:03 AM with the headline "Possible pipe bomb found on Highway 99 not a pipe bomb after all."