TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Lakeland Police Release Video Of Weekend Garage Blast

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOSH POLTILOVE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 11, 2009

Police have released the video of an object exploding this weekend at a Lakeland garage. The explosion led to a bomb scare Monday.

The video released today captures images of the suspects in the case. Police decided to release it because they determined "the images on the video would be of service to the community as an example of the consequences of making destructive devices," a Lakeland Police Department news release states.

It later turned out the explosion was the result of three men who were trying to win an online contest, the attorney for one of the men said Tuesday.

"The motive is not important, whether it's a commercial, a contest, a prank or a hoax," Investigator John McGrath said today. "A destructive device is an illegal device. … Someone can get seriously hurt. They're unpredictable, you don't know the rate of reaction, and they're something not to be played with."

The explosion was about 60 feet in diameter, he said. No structural damage was caused by the blast.

On Monday, Lakeland police summoned a bomb squad from Tampa and the state fire marshal's office to the garage at Main Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Investigators initially said a bomb squad robot was used to detonate one explosive device and neutralize what they suspected was a second.

They ultimately determined the second object was a piece of the first device, McGrath said.

Investigators are still working to determine the financial cost of their efforts Monday, he said.

By the end of the day, three men ages 19 to 24 had turned themselves in and were arrested.

Bill Sites, the attorney for one of the men, Daniel Terry, said his client and two others were filming a commercial for an online contest organized by Mountain Dew soft drinks and the Fox show "24."

The "24 Seconds to Save the World Create a Commercial Contest" is a promotion by Fox Television Stations and PepsiCo Inc.

"It's save the world in 24 seconds," Sites said. "They were simply just down there filming this, and they chose that location because of its setting and the film value."

The device that was detonated Monday was made with a pair of two-liter bottles, fireworks and plastic foam coolers, Lakeland police said.

"In this particular case they took some Mountain Dew bottles and some firecrackers that had been bought in another county, and they put them all together somewhat resembling a destructive device, put some fake wiring on it, a broken cell phone, taped it all together, filmed it, discharged it, made a fairly loud noise," Sites said.

Information from Tribune archives was used in this report. Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 259-7691.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT