Pipe Bomb Scare Forces Evacuation

A pipe bomb scare scattered employees and customers Saturday afternoon at a Spokane secondhand store.

No one was hurt, and police determined the pipe was not a bomb after the store was evacuated.

A shopper at St. Vincent de Paul, 2913 E. Trent, found a pipe capped at both ends inside the store about 4 p.m., said police Sgt. Jim Lundgren.

Employees and customers evacuated the store and the bomb squad was called.

Elvis, a remote-controlled bomb-disposal robot, was used to remove the pipe from the store. The robot then examined the pipe inside a fenced area and determined it was not a bomb, Lundgren said.

The store, which normally closes at 5 p.m., did not reopen Saturday. However, by 6:30 p.m., police allowed donors to leave items at the adjacent drop-off dock.

, DataTimes