A towing company in Pacific County made a startling discovery this week when workers found multiple improvised explosive devices stashed inside a vehicle that had been impounded. The find prompted a call to the Washington State Patrol Interagency Bomb Squad, a perimeter around the tow yard, and ultimately a controlled detonation on the sand at Seaview Beach.
According to the Pacific County Sheriff's Office, deputies learned that the towing company had found multiple improvised explosive devices inside the impounded vehicle, and the sheriff's office promptly notified the Washington State Patrol Bomb Squad, which responded to the scene. As reported by KGW, deputies established a perimeter around the impound lot while the sheriff's office shared information about the suspect and the vehicle with state bomb technicians, who used x-ray analysis to evaluate the suspicious items.
That analysis confirmed what everyone on scene feared: the devices were active explosives, not inert props or hoax items. Bomb squad technicians recommended moving the devices rather than detonating them where they sat, since dry local conditions made on-site disposal unsafe at the tow yard.
Why the Beach Became the Detonation Site
Late-summer weather along the Washington coast brings dry vegetation and elevated fire danger, and a tow yard stocked with stored fuel and surrounded by structures is a high-risk environment for any kind of intentional blast, as KGW reported. That left technicians looking for open, wet ground where a controlled blast wouldn't risk sparking a wildfire or a secondary explosion. Seaview Beach fit the bill: the explosive devices were moved from the tow yard to the beach specifically for controlled disposal on the damp sand.
Deputies and bomb technicians arrived at the approach to Seaview Beach and cleared the surrounding area of bystanders before technicians detonated the multiple explosive devices. Beach approaches along this stretch of the Long Beach Peninsula do remain open for authorized access even during the state's seasonal vehicle restriction between Bolstad Avenue and 38th Avenue, which otherwise bars driving on the sand from April 15 through Labor Day under state administrative rules.
A Specialized State Response to a Local Find
The Washington State Patrol Interagency Bomb Squad, which operates under WSP's Homeland Security Division, is the largest FBI-accredited public safety bomb unit in the state and responds to more than 300 calls a year involving improvised explosive devices and other hazardous threats. That specialized capacity is why rural sheriff's offices like Pacific County's routinely lean on state technicians rather than handling suspected explosives themselves. Washington state ranked last in the nation for per-capita law enforcement staffing in 2025, with roughly 1.37 commissioned officers per 1,000 residents, a gap that leaves small coastal departments dependent on state and federal partners for specialized response.
This isn't the first time Pacific County deputies have coordinated with outside bomb technicians. A suspicious device found near State Route 103 in Ocean Park previously prompted precautionary lock-ins at Ocean Park Elementary School while officials responded. And elsewhere in the state, WSP technicians were called to Waddell Creek Road near Capitol State Forest in Thurston County in April, where they safely rendered an active 11-inch pipe bomb inert after establishing a four-hour perimeter, a case Hoodline covered as the Waddell Creek pipe bomb find.
Legal Exposure and Open Questions
Under Washington law, possessing or manufacturing an improvised explosive device or its components without a valid state license is a Class C felony, while possessing a bomb with intent to use it unlawfully carries a Class A felony penalty of up to 20 years in prison. Those statutes could shape any charges that eventually emerge from this case, though the sheriff's office has not identified the vehicle's owner or said how the devices were built. It remains unclear whether federal agencies such as the ATF will join the investigation, a step that has factored into other Washington explosives cases when regulated compounds or interstate elements are involved.
The Pacific County Sheriff's Office said it will continue collaborating with state partner agencies as the investigation into the vehicle and its owner continues. No injuries were reported from the discovery or the beach detonation.
