Published: June 24, 2008 12:00 am            

Police say Eagle Cliff explosion caused by 'sparkler bomb'

Investigators say a homemade "sparkler bomb" was the source of an explosion Sunday night in the Eagle Cliff Addition in southeast Norman.

Meanwhile, authorities are discussing what charges to file against the three suspects who allegedly set off the explosion, police said.

Norman Police Capt. Leonard Judy confirmed Tuesday the three suspects, 20, 21 and 23, used sparklers and electrical tape, as demonstrated on various Internet sites, to construct the sparkler bomb.

"Essentially what these guys have done, based on the evidence at the scene and the videos we viewed, is to take a quantity of sparklers, according to whatever magnitude of explosion one wishes to produce, and bind them together with electrical tape, leaving one sticking out to make a fuse.

"Apparently these young men were quite surprised by the violence of the explosion. Our fear is that people will underestimate the potential force of explosion and hurt themselves or someone else or precipitate severe property damage," Judy said.

In this case, the explosion occurred in an area where the damage was relatively inconsequential, Judy said.

Police received several calls around 8 p.m. concerning an explosion in the Eagle Cliff housing addition, and responding officers taped off a home construction site where the explosion reportedly occurred.

According to witnesses, the three bombers ran from the home construction site back to their house in the 1100 block of Sparrow Hawk Drive and tried to leave but were blocked in by a man driving an SUV.

Officers found a pickup truck in the driveway that contained fireworks, Judy said. The suspects were identified and questioned by police.

Judy said the lead investigator with the Hazardous Devices Unit has conferred with the district attorney's office and the city attorney's office, to determine what charges are best suited for prosecution.

"Once that's determined, the case will be turned over to the appropriate agency," Judy said.

Tom Blakey 366-3540 tblakey@normantranscript.com

        

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