JOHNSTOWN — The Weld County Bomb Squad recovered and detonated a homemade pyrotechnic device Saturday after being called to Johnson’s Corner on a report of a suspicious package.
“It was a large tube that was covered with tinfoil on either end, and a customer found it and brought it to the attention of the (restaurant) manager,” Johnstown Police Chief Brian Phillips said. “The manager became concerned and took it outside and called us. We responded and immediately evacuated the building and shut all the roadways down around it.”
Police closed the entrance and exits at mile marker 254 on Interstate 25 near Johnson’s Corner, 2842 SE Frontage Road, and the frontage road for about three hours, before opening the roads again at 6 p.m.
The bomb squad arrived on the scene about 4:30 p.m.
“They came out. They detonated it,” Phillips said. “Their evaluation of it was it was a pyrotechnic device — in other words, a homemade firework. They also told us they didn’t believe that it would have caused any type of injury unless someone was really in close contact with it when it went off.”
Phillips said police are reviewing security camera video and investigating the incident.
“We’re going to find out who brought it in and then try to identify them and contact them and find out what their intention was,” he said.
Patrons were allowed to return to the restaurant and no one was injured, Phillips said.
“We’re going to investigate it as if someone tried to disrupt the business,” he said. “That would be what we believe, but we won’t know until we actually find out who brought it in there and find out what their intention was.”
In addition to the bomb squad and Johnstown police, units from the Johnstown Milliken Fire Protection District, the Loveland Fire Department and Colorado State Patrol also were called to the scene.
