Emergency crews shut down a stretch of Orion Road in Carlsbad yesterday after three suspicious cylindrical objects, custom-built and labeled to look like active explosive devices, turned up on the floor near a building entrance in the 5900 block of El Camino Real. Bomb technicians later confirmed the items were fake, and police arrested a 42-year-old San Marcos man in connection with the incident.
According to the City of Carlsbad, emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene at 11:41 AM, and officers closed Orion Road between El Camino Real and Faraday Avenue while securing a perimeter. As 10News reports, the Carlsbad Police Department had received reports of three suspicious items near a building entrance at around 11 a.m., prompting officers to evacuate the immediate area while the San Diego County Sheriff's Bomb/Arson Unit responded to evaluate the items.
Bomb technicians determined the objects were not explosive devices at all, but rather three cylindrical PVC pipes that had been custom-constructed and explicitly labeled to resemble active bombs, the city says. Police arrested Leobardo AlejandriGomez, identified by 10News as a 42-year-old man from San Marcos, in connection with placing the items near the building entrance.
Felony Charges Carry Prison Exposure
AlejandriGomez was booked on one charge of placing or possessing a false or facsimile bomb with intent to cause fear for another person's safety, per the outlet's report, along with a second charge of knowingly threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction with specific intent to threaten. Under California Penal Code Section 148.1(d), maliciously placing or possessing a false or facsimile bomb to induce fear can be prosecuted as a felony carrying up to three years in state prison, and courts may order convicted defendants to reimburse emergency response costs, according to Bulldog Law.
The second charge, filed under California Penal Code Section 11418.5, makes it a felony to knowingly threaten the use of a weapon of mass destruction with specific intent, regardless of whether the suspect actually has the capability or intent to carry out the threat, per a summary referencing the statute. Prosecutors do not need to prove the objects could have actually detonated to pursue that charge, only that AlejandriGomez intended to create fear that they were real.
Business Corridor Near Palomar Airport Road
The 5900 block of El Camino Real sits in a major commercial and industrial corridor in eastern Carlsbad near Faraday Avenue and Palomar Airport Road, an area populated by corporate offices and light industrial facilities, according to the city. That location explains why the response extended beyond the immediate building entrance and required officers to close a section of Orion Road while bomb technicians worked.
Carlsbad Police Lieutenant Eric Kovanda said following the arrest that even when suspicious items turn out to be fake, hoax bomb threats still require a massive public safety response that diverts critical community resources. The San Diego County Sheriff's Bomb/Arson Unit, a specialized regional task force of certified FBI bomb technicians, responds to roughly 500 calls annually across the county for suspicious packages, improvised explosives, and arson investigations, according to CBS News 8.
Recent String of North County Bomb Scares
Thursday's incident is the latest in a string of explosive scares to hit San Diego County in recent months. In April, Carlsbad emergency crews evacuated Sage Creek High School after a chemical bottle explosion triggered a bomb scare on campus, though fire officials later confirmed the materials were non-hazardous. And in March, the San Diego County Sheriff's Bomb/Arson Unit evacuated the Santee Sheriff's Station and closed its parking lot to investigate a suspicious package left at the facility.
The investigation into Thursday's incident remains ongoing, and it is not yet clear whether AlejandriGomez had any connection to the specific business near the building entrance where the fake devices were found. Carlsbad Police Public Information Officer Denise Ramirez and Lieutenant Kovanda are directing communications on the case and are asking anyone with information related to the incident to call 442-339-2197.
