Deputies dispose of possible acid bomb

MODESTO -- The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department bomb team disposed of what may have been an acid bomb Sunday afternoon in Modesto.

About 1:30 p.m., deputies arrived on the 600 Block of Colorado Avenue, where a plastic container with an unknown substance inside it was found near a vacant residence.

Deputies immediately shut down the block and requested the assistance of the bomb team, which determined the container “potentially … was an acid bomb,” according to a news release from department spokesman Sgt Anthony Bejaran. “The device was rendered safe on scene and the roadway was reopened.”

No motive or suspects had been identified as of Sunday evening. According to the Centers for Disease Control and prevention, acid bombs, or homemade chemical bombs, are explosive devices that can be made easily from volatile household chemicals like toilet bowl, drain and driveway cleaners.