Suspicious device snarled rush hour freeway traffic in Spokane Valley

A suspicious device found next to the westbound Interstate 90 on-ramp at Pines Road briefly snarled traffic during rush hour Monday evening.

Someone called in about the device around 5 p.m., said Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Deputy Mark Gregory. The on-ramp was shut down and the Explosives Disposal Unit responded to the scene.

The pipe had “explosive potential” and was rendered safe, said Gregory. The device could have fallen out of a passing vehicle, he said.

“It doesn’t appear that anyone set it there to have it go off,” he said. “We don’t know how long the item was there.”

An investigation into the device is ongoing.