‘Live and active’ pipe bomb found near Araby Trail in Palm Springs

Police in Palm Springs are working to find who's responsible for planting a "live and active" pipe bomb near a hiking trailhead.

The bomb was found in the area of Southridge Drive and Rim Road, near the entrance to the heavily trafficked Araby Trail.

A Sheriff's Dept. hazardous device team was called in and detonated the bomb before clearing the area. Smoke was seen rising after the detonation.

"We got a call at about ten to 5 p.m. tonight about a suspicious device at one of our trailheads," said Sgt. Marcus Litch with PSPD. "Came out to do the investigation, appeared to possibly be a pipe bomb."

Police shut down E Palm Canyon from Cherokee to Escoba for nearly an hour. The device was "rendered safe" and all roadways were reopened by 8:20 p.m.

"There's a high risk involved," Litch said. "It's a possible explosive so it could injure us or the community."

Initially unsure of the bomb's origin and authenticity, police used caution. "We treat them all the same, whether it's real or not, and let the hazardous device team do their job," Litch said.

Police in Palm Springs are now working to figure out who planted a *live and active* pipe bomb near a trail at the Araby wash. Details- and what our cameras captured- tonight at 10 and 11 p.m. @KESQ https://t.co/lIBf6aht1m pic.twitter.com/h4JieOqHPA

— Jake Ingrassia (@JakeKESQ) February 17, 2021

Palm Springs investigators will work with the Sheriff's Department to determine the device’s origin and who is responsible for placing the device.