RCMP officers, including Oliver detachment commander Sgt. Ken Harrington (left), gather near the scene of the crime on Earl Crescent where an improvised explosive device had been detonated under a vehicle.
Lyonel Doherty photo
An explosive device that detonated under a vehicle in Oliver last weekend had the RCMP very concerned for public safety.
On Monday at approximately 10:40 am, the Oliver RCMP were advised of an incident involving an improvised explosive device. This device appeared to have been placed under a vehicle which was unoccupied and parked behind a residence in the 600 block of Earl Crescent.
A local resident came to the detachment with a piece of metal that she had located in her garage. According to police, this item appeared to have been projected through the alley side of her garage and travelled at sufficient velocity to travel through the outside wall and end up inside the garage.
Investigators attended the area and observed a vehicle in the rear driveway of a residence on Earl Crescent. An inspection of the vehicle showed that it sustained significant damage to two rear wheels and undercarriage. Further investigation indicated that the cement driveway was scorched and sustained some surface damage consistent with an explosion. Pieces of metal, fragments of rubber and other material were also observed in the area.
Police report there was damage to a second garage on the same side of the alley. A piece of metal that entered this building did so with such velocity that it exited the other side.
“The damage appears to be consistent with an explosion of some significance going off under the vehicle, said Sgt. Peter Thiessen, spokesperson for the BC RCMP. “It does not appear that any local residents were injured in the explosion.”
Thiessen said the motive for this explosion and who may be responsible is still not clear.
The crime scene took on an eerie feel in the neighbourhood as children from a nearby daycare centre played innocently while police walked back and forth in the cordoned off area.
“My first concern was should I close the daycare. The (crime scene) tape was freaking me out,” said Little Wonders administrator Diane Gludovatz.
But she noted that a police officer told her there was no danger to the public.
Gludovatz said the incident was something straight out of a movie. “That just doesn’t happen in Oliver.”
When she saw police in the area, she thought it was the standard vandalism or drug-related call. A bomb never entered her mind.
Gludovatz said she is really hoping that it was just some “stupid kids” who were experimenting with a bomb they learned to build from the Internet.
The daycare provider said some people in the neigbourhood indicated they heard a big bang last Saturday night.
“I’m concerned because there are two daycare centres in the area. These are small children. Thank God it happened over the weekend.” said Gludovatz.
Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes was shocked to hear the news on Monday.
“Who would build such a thing powerful enough to send shrapnel through a garage wall? Someone could have been seriously injured or killed.”
Hovanes didn’t want to speculate on the motive or intention. “Was it a prank or something more sinister . . . it doesn’t matter . . . it could have harmed a lot of people.”
Despite the incident, the mayor said he still believes that Oliver is a safe community.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Oliver RCMP at 250-498-3422 or Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477. People can also go online at www.solvecrime.ca
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
