Palm Springs police make arrest in pipe bomb case
A Desert Hot Springs man was in custody Friday morning and expected to appear in a federal courtroom in Riverside on Friday afternoon, to face charges stemming from a string of pipe bombs found in the north side of the city.
A statement from the Palm Springs Police Department said officers arrested Edward Costa, 47, of Desert Hot Springs, on Thursday.
He’s facing a possible federal charge of possession of an unregistered destructive device.
The police statement did not say where Costa was arrested or what investigators believe ties him to six destructive devices discovered throughout the city of Palm Springs in early-May.
A criminal complaint filed Friday with the United States District Attorney says police got a tip from a woman who said she knew who might be responsible for the devices.
She then led investigators to her daughter’s boyfriend. She had noticed seeing piping at her daughter’s house. Investigators found another pipe bomb there.
A Palm Springs Police spokeswoman Melissa Desmarais said several law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Also involved were the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hazardous Device Team, the Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Coachella Valley Violent Crime Gang Task Force and the Post Release Accountability and Corrections Team Task Force.
The first device was found on May 9. Several roadways were closed and access to the lobby of the Palm Springs Police Department was restricted while members of the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department Hazardous Device Team investigated the first device, which a resident had picked up and brought to the station to turn in.
Five more devices were discovered over the coming week near an area of San Rafael Drive and Indian Canyon Drive in the North Palm Springs area.
No one was injured by the pipe bombs, but concerned residents were left to worry about who was leaving the devices around their neighborhoods.
“During this investigation, members of the Palm Springs Police Department worked tirelessly alongside representatives with several local, county, state and federal agencies”, said Palm Springs Police Department Chief Alberto Franz. “Their collaborative efforts led directly to the identification and arrest of the suspect. I would like to thank all those involved for their hard work and commitment to keeping our community safe.”
