A man who was taken into custody for brandishing a gun in a traffic confrontation at Provo Town Center Mall has been connected to a cache of homemade explosives found in his Orem apartment, police reported finding 71 homemade bombs last Friday. The alarming discovery was a consequence of a roadside conflict where a witness observed the man displaying a firearm and promptly notified the Provo police, leading to the individual's arrest. This was conveyed by Provo Police Chief Troy Beebe as reported by KSL.
Upon further investigation of the suspect's residence, bomb technicians employed X-ray technology to verify the nature of the devices they uncovered which drew the attention of the Metro Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, arrest documents cited by ABC4 detailed that the suspect, identified as Whitaker, initially claimed these were merely firecrackers before ultimately admitting to creating the bombs, professing they were meant to function as emergency flares during his hiking excursions, however, the declared intent could not mask the hazard the devices posed leading to Whitaker being booked on multiple counts of reckless possession of incendiary devices.
The diligent response by law enforcement was lauded, noting "We are grateful for the expert training, skills, and equipment that our Metro Bomb Squad officers provide during their response to EOD incidents, protecting our investigators as well as our community," further praise was bestowed upon patrol officers for their quick actions following up from the initial report of suspicious activity, as noted by ABC4.
