Shoppers meandered through a busy Lakewood mall on Saturday, most unaffected by the trickle of law enforcement investigating two suspicious devices they say “partially functioned” inside a bookstore.
Early Saturday morning, police were called to the Colorado Mills mall after a store alarm went off at the Borders bookstore, according to the FBI.
Police discovered someone had apparently forced their way into the store. Officers later found two “small, crude devices” and called the Jefferson County bomb squad.
Authorities secured the area around the store, including a large section of the parking lot, but the mall remained open for business.
The devices caused minimal damage to a small area inside the bookstore, and no damage to the mall, officials said.
Dante Gallegos, 33, of Littleton said he shops at the mall often and was surprised to hear about the devices.
“Who knows what could have happened, how much damage it could have caused or how many people it could have hurt,” Gallegos said.
While authorities confirmed that the devices “partially functioned,” they offered few details about the incident, the devices or how much damage they could have caused had they fully detonated.
Gallegos said that, while he cannot help but ponder the “what if,” he will not let Saturday’s incident affect where he shops.
Lakewood resident Megan Krohn, 21, said she was not going to let the incident affect her daily routine or deter her from shopping at the mall, but she was concerned nonetheless.
“I’m a little nervous, especially after everything that happened at Southwest Plaza,” Krohn said.
On April 20, two small propane canisters and a makeshift pipe bomb were discovered in a service hallway in the Southwest Plaza mall. The devices failed to detonate, but the mall was evacuated. Earl A. Moore, 65, was later arrested and charged in the case.
Authorities did not release any information about possible suspects in Saturday’s incident.
Mall officials said they opened the shopping center only after authorities said it was safe to do so.
“Colorado Mills is committed to ensuring the safety of its shoppers, retailers and employees,” general manager Kimra Perkins said in a statement.
No injuries were reported and no threats have been sent to the bookstore or the mall.
The Lakewood Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI are investigating the case.
Jordan Steffen: 303-954-1794 or jsteffen@denverpost.com
