Moving Jeep explodes in eastern Washington, injuring man; additional explosives found inside

1/25/2014

SPOKANE, Wash. — An explosion in a moving Jeep scattered debris over a half-block area of an eastern Washington city early Saturday, severely injuring the man who was inside the vehicle with more explosives, police said.

Witnesses reported a flash of light and an explosion just after 1 a.m. from inside the vehicle, which then left the roadway and came to a stop, Spokane Police spokeswoman Monique Cotton said.

Officers found the driver with a severe hand injury. They applied tourniquets and took the man to a hospital, where staff said the first aid likely saved his life.

Police cordoned off streets in the area due to the possibility there might be explosives in the Jeep and sent in a bomb robot to confirm. Cotton said she did not immediately have details about the explosives or how many police found.

A bomb squad was on the scene until 7 a.m. defusing the explosives.

“It was an all-night investigation,” Cotton said.

Once the explosives were defused, Spokane police turned the investigation over to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, she said. No arrests had been made.