A Hollister police officer was injured while investigating a chemical explosive device.
According to a Hollister Police Department statement:
On Aug. 8, Officer Rudy Rodriguez responded to a call of what sounded like an M80 or other large explosive going off in the 1400 block of El Cerro Dive. Neighbors had reported a juvenile who lives nearby had exploded a device in the middle of the court.
Shortly after arriving, Officer Rodriguez located the 15 year old juvenile who admitted to making a chemical bomb and exploding it in the court. He advised he learned how to make them through a friend and social media online videos. He told Officer Rodriguez where the remnants of the device were located.
The exploded device had been placed in a garbage container of a neighboring home. As he was investigating, Officer Rodriguez was overcome with chemical vapors emanating from the exploded device and began to experience symptoms of chemical exposure. His symptoms became worse and would not subside. The Hollister Fire Department was called to contain the unknown substance and San Benito Environmental Health was called to make sure there was no further danger to neighbors.
Officer Rodriguez was transported to Hazel Hawkins Hospital for treatment and decontamination. He was treated and released the same day, and was able to return to work two days later.
The investigation revealed that a 15-year-old juvenile had put the explosive device together. The Hollister Police Department would like to warn residents that all explosive devices are dangerous. There are many “recipes” available on various social media sites with commonly available cleaning ingredients that are easily accessible to juveniles. We ask parents to educate their children about the dangers of creating any explosive device.
Creating an explosive device can lead to arrest with misdemeanor or felony charges. The juvenile was given a citation and released to his parents. No other persons were injured during this incident.
