Police arrest man in connection to Disneyland explosion

A 22-year-old Disneyland employee was behind bars todayon suspicion of dropping a dry-ice bomb into a theme park trash can, forcingthe evacuation of Mickey’s Toontown but causing no injuries.

Long Beach resident Christian Barnes, who works as an “outdoor vendingcast member,” was arrested late Tuesday on suspicion of possessing adestructive device, Anaheim police Sgt. Bob Dunn said. He was being held inlieu of $1 million bail.

Barnes was “cooperating” with investigators, telling them the blastwas an “isolated incident with unanticipated impacts,” Dunn said.

The makeshift device exploded about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday in a covered trashcan in Toontown, Dunn said. Toontown is an area of the park generally gearedtoward younger children.

Officers found the remains of a water bottle in the trash can,indicating it was a dry-ice bomb. No one was injured in the explosion, butDisney officials had to close down Toontown for about three hours while therest of the park remained open.

“We take matters like this very seriously and are working closely withlocal authorities,” Disneyland spokeswoman Suzi Brown said.