CHANDLER, Ariz. — A suspect has been taken into custody after a bomb threat that evacuated homes in Chandler, according to Sgt. Ricky Gonzales with the Chandler Police Department.
Gonzales said police were called at about 3 p.m. by a person who said a man had an explosive device or bomb-making materials in a home on the 700 block of North Tangerine Drive. That street is just south of the intersection of Ray and Rural roads.
The Chandler SWAT team and the Mesa Police Department's bomb squad responded to the scene. Officers then established a perimeter around the home and evacuated other homes within that perimeter for safety.
"It's our first and foremost priority, we want to protect life as much as we can," Gonzales said. "Given the nature of what was discussed and what we were contacted about, our officers showed up and started the evacuation process for the residents inside that area, on that street, and then some adjacent residences to the east."
The suspect, who was the only person in the home where police were investigating the threat, eventually surrendered and has been taken into custody, according to Gonzales.
There is no word on if any bombs or bomb-making materials have been found but Gonzales said robots and drones are being used to search every inch of the house.
Gonzales stressed that the public is safe.
"We just want to remind everybody that people are safe now, but we do have the Mesa bomb squad here still checking the residence just to ensure that there's nothing going on in there and to exhaust all means possible," Gonzales said. "This is something that takes a long time. They're going to search every nook and cranny of that residence to make sure that it's safe."
He was not able to say how many homes or people had been evacuated. However, he said that those who were evacuated would not be able to return to their homes until police completed their investigation, which would be late Sunday night.
"Once everything is cleared, we'll make sure to notify the community that they can go back to their homes as soon as possible," Gonzales said.
This is a developing story and more details will be added as they are made available.
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