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Investigators look over the contents of a truck on Sahara Avenue near Decatur Boulevard Tuesday, June 29, 2010. The Las Vegas Fire and Rescue Bomb Squad was called when a suspicious device was found in the vehicle, Metro Police said. The device was rendered safe with the assistance of bomb squad robots, they said.
By Steve Marcus (contact), Jackie Valley (contact) 
Published Tuesday, June 29, 2010 | 10:59 a.m.
Updated Tuesday, June 29, 2010 | 4:06 p.m.
Suspicious vehicle
About 20 businesses were evacuated Tuesday after Metro Police officers found a suspicious device in a vehicle near Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard.
Metro spokeswoman Barbara Morgan said officers responded about 10:30 a.m. to the area after stopping a Dodge Ram pickup truck on suspicion of DUI. The truck's driver stopped at the southeast corner of the intersection.
After the traffic stop, police learned the 40-year-old driver had an outstanding warrant from North Las Vegas and arrested him, Morgan said.
Officers did a search of the truck before planning to have it towed. A suspicious device was found during the search, which led police to evacuate about 20 businesses in the area and close several streets to traffic.
The Las Vegas Fire and Rescue bomb squad responded to the scene and rendered the device safe with the use of two robots. Police weren't releasing other details about the device. No one was injured.
The driver of the truck, from Las Vegas, was arrested on the North Las Vegas warrant and could face additional charges in connection with today's incident. A passenger was also in the truck, police said.
Police had urged motorists to use alternative routes to avoid the area, but most roads were reopened at about 1:15 p.m.
Olmedo Hoyos, owner of Colombian Cuisine in the Sahara Pavilion South plaza, estimated he lost about 50 customers during the nearly three-hour evacuation. Because it's a family business, Hoyos said many customers, who had planned to eat lunch and watch the World Cup, called him asking about the evacuation.
"I was afraid the cooks left something on because it was so fast — the evacuation," he said.
Elsewhere in the plaza, that's exactly what happened. Dennis Trujillo, assistant manager at Jimmy John's, said an employee had to call 3-1-1 and ask firefighters to turn off the bread oven. They expected the evacuation to be matter of minutes, not hours.
Jimmy John's was able to open its doors at 1:55 p.m., just after the lunch-hour rush.
"Hopefully, we'll make a couple hundred dollars," Trujillo said. "It's kind of intense because nothing like that has ever happened before. I'm glad no one was hurt."
Did the vehicle make a "furtive move" yet?
"Officers noticed something suspicious in the car after the driver gave consent for a search during a car stop"
Probably a copy of the Constitution...
HA!
a copy of the constitution...that is funny!
Once metro's armored vehicle was in place and the metro helicoptesr had secured the airspace, swat (bomb & rescue) approached 2 by 2 with a company of cops securing their flanking positions. Mortar support rendered the device harmless, the same can not be said about the state of our "police" State.
Andy Taylor RIP.
From The Andy Griffith Show:
Sheriff Andy Taylor: "Somewhere wandering loose around Mayberry is a loaded goat."
"The Las Vegas Fire and Rescue bomb squad responded to the scene and rendered the device safe" after Metro responded.
Translation and advice: If you've got a warrant out for you, don't drive into Metro's jurisdiction with an inflatable sheep in your vehicle. They'll deflate it and take you to jail (at great expense to taxpayers).
I heard they blew up an alarm clock, they must have been really bored.
If Bin Laden every decides to stop hiden he should come to Las Vegas where the loyal Sun posters will assist him in protecting his constipational rights!
If you guys are really really lucky Binny might share a virgin or several with you ... A slightly used one ... of course!
Well, that weedeater will never harm anyone ever again...
what are you talking about pmmart?
Can't cut their Department after this show of STRENGTH....now can you ? You bet we can !!!
What a bunch of dopes making the above comments. Lets see the driver was drunk a wanted fellon and god knows what was in the truck. So if he hit you or a love one with his truck and killed someone you would be screaming where were the cops. If the driver committed a crime against you because he had a warrent out on him for comitting a crime you would want him locked up and the key thrown away. Worst yet a bomb going off on the strip believe me that is a real possibility would produce many injuries or deaths and drive tourist away and change how you live and think each day. Ask many New Yorkers who still live in fear of another attack in NYC so stop making fun of the Metro police and be thankful they are trained and equiped to protect you.
If you were unarmed and shot while making a "furtive movement" you would be screaming "where are the paramedics?". The cops would already be there.
Jerry
You inquired about my message?
I merely asked why you think [?] that Elmer Fudd has trouble with the letter 'R'.
Did Pmmart really just call the Constitution Constipation? Brilliant, Maybe he can be Tea Party president.
Me thinks pmmart should not attempt to pass through a sobriety checkpoint tonight.
That is the problem; "trained & equipped". Taxpayers having been fleeced into the purchase of armor vehicles, helicopters and robots and metro trains to use them.
So since they are "trained" you get over"kill", over "re"action and our para military police force.
Training in deescalation, hey I would settle for COMMON SENSE. METRO is out of control, driving school did not help, so official rules that state "obey the law" were instituted....and the army private mentality of just make sure you get to go home (in a war zone) is no citizens police force; PROTECT & SERVE! SERVE being the key word!
So what the hell was it that caused all the commotion?
Siromega,
Wondering the same thing. Not very fortcoming to quell the public's fears, are they?
It's a lightbrite!
keystoned cops, last thing like this was a construction laser that fell off a truck. Just a way for them to rack up overtime and stroke their egos in front of the media.
They should go back to doing what they do best - shooting unarmed black people in the head.
You folks are right, this is a fear mongering gimmick to try and stop the needed lay off of these over-payed cops. There are fewer people in the area, fewer people going out, fewer open businesses and so on. We should lay off 50% of the cops and cut the pay and benefits of the others by 50%.
Also, guess that Columbian restuarant was not one of the places that offers free and discount meals to cops.
maybe it was one of those russian secret agents.
Maybe the new iphone? Anyone know if it has a furtive app?
Basic principle of American justice: "suspicion of DUI" does not equal "guilty of DUI."
That is another gimmick, the DUI it is really DWU,
driving without undershirt, 106 degrees and an undershirt, and you know your dealing with one of the "flock."
A computer: 21st Century version of the CB radio.
Los Angeles changed their motto from "To Protect and to Serve" to "We treat you like a King!"
More to the point, the disturbing thing about this story is that we are not being told if there was in fact a danger or not. When the authorities (Metro in this case) are silent it is easier to think scam than anything else in today's political environment.
Is that Gillespie's underwear? Ha.
In the 1950's this was the image of a friendly police officer - sworn to defend the Constitution and uphold individual rights.
http://i927.photobucket.com/albums/ad114...
Today, we have this: "I'll beat your brains in chump if you even look at me wrong. Yeah, I love tyranny. I revel in my unconstitutional power. I know who you are, but you don't know who I am because I have a mask on."
http://www.stevedemmitt.com/uploads/SWAT...
Acts of goodness are done in the light of day and acts of evil are done under cover of darkness.
Cops, you need to look at this.
http://oathkeepers.org/oath/
How about Metro explaining what the "suspicious device" was, or what they thought it might be, and the reason they thought they were required to blow it up?
Granted, we're a prime target for terrorism, and most Metro
officers are dedicated, reasonably honest people, but this seems like an exercise based on recent Metro actions killing unarmed civillians that smells of "There are too many independent witnesses, we can't kill the truck driver with all these people watching, so let's find something."
Only in America can the rambling of the ignorant be tolerated by so many...name any third world country and your mindless comments on a "police state" would assure your subsequent beheading and mass burial in an unmarked grave.
Maybe if the explosive device would have blown up you would now be complaining about how the cops weren't around and why are they paid so much and never there...
Go back to the flock and let the sheep dogs and guardians take care of what we do best, protecting those that hate us from those that would do them harm.
What is happen folks?
Not body was make a comment about the migration status of the people on the truck, they could be illegals.
So he was pulled over on susupicion of DUI. Ok, so they found he was not drunk. Wow. that's why I have nothing in my car except the spare time, which could be misidentified as a foreign object is suppose.
"Hopefully we'll make a couple hundred dollars"... gee, are we supposed to feel sorry or what? For crying out loud - there was an explosive.... so your business was interrupted for a bit... get over it and be thankful it was caught before anyone was hurt by it.
Surprise surprise...now they say the guy was not drunk, no DUI - Shades of Darling case - what was the NLVPD warrant for? Jaywalking??? And what was the device? A Glen Beck double chin exerciser?
What exactly is a "suspicious device," dynamite wired to an alarm clock or somebody's lunch? An incident that causes such disruption should not be treated so superficially. I'll be looking for the follow-up.
I think we are all still waiting. I'm still waiting for a follow up to the St. Rose "terrorist drill" scare...
You guys are acting as if the police did something wrong. I believe, especially in the age of terrorism, the police acted appropriately. If the device is even remotely suspected as being an explosive, then it is completely necessary to shut down the area to prevent the unnecessary lose of life. Even if the device was not a bomb, it is better to be safe than sorry. You all act as if the police are wasting resources to shut down the area. I do not care if ever officer in the state was there, as long as no lives were loss, even if it was not a real bomb. The training and equipment of the police cost 50,000 times what it costs for the officers to close the area down. All the officers there would have been paid today anyway; it was mid-day during the work week! The police did not waste any money. Had the police not have acted as they did, you all would be screaming for someone to get hung.
Get over yourselves and let the police do their jobs.
Next time you volunteer to open the suspicious package and then we will not need to police to respond. Maybe the ambulance once you get blown up.
@ easy312
I deduce that you are a cop of some sort or involved in law enforcement to a certain degree, is this correct?
I will NOT go back to the flock, as you say, and be a sheep. I do not hate you ... IF you are a good cop and stand up for individual rights and not abuse your power. I am a well informed, well educated, sovereign, who is capable of critical thinking. Is this against your interest?
Thomas Jefferson stated eloquently:
"The two enemies of the people are criminals and government, so let us tie the second down with the chains of the constitution so the second will not become the legalized version of the first."
@lcare2009
"I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences [and dangers] attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it." -Thomas Jefferson
to Money_is_debt:
I fully agree with your statements and believe as you do that there must be a control to keep cops honest and doing the right thing, what I was getting at is irrational comments made for a situation that is routine. You seem to understand both sides of the conversation, so do not take this as an attack against you.
I specifically meant it for the people that complain about the actions taken by the police, military or others in that capacity, but 1) do not have a full grasp of how the world really operates and the type of people that are running around in it and 2) complain when the job is done yet are the first to complain when the authorities miss something. To break it down for those people, you can not complain about procedures that save lives just like you can not complain when the authorities are not there and something bad happens.
If you want to live in this world, be prepared for the ugliness of evil and the occasional delay of your life when the authorities get it right.