Man Stopped Near Marina del Rey Arrested After Explosives Found

By City News Service

An explosive device found in a man's vehicle during a traffic stop near Marina del Rey prompted authorities to search the motorist's Palms-area apartment Wednesday, leading to the discovery of more than a dozen explosive devices and the evacuation of several buildings.

Robert Wilson, 29, was stopped by police around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 4100 block of Glencoe Avenue just east of Marina del Rey. They found an explosive device in his vehicle, police said.

At 6:30 a.m., a bomb squad was sent to Wilson's apartment in the 3800 block of Overland Ave. in Palms, police said. As many as 17 explosive devices were found inside.

The apartment building and three other buildings were evacuated and traffic was routed away from the area. An evacuation center was established at the Veterans Auditorium in Culver City, 4117 Overland Ave.

"This appears to be just a lone wolf type of individual,'' LAPD Sgt. Frank Preciado said. "There's no connection with terrorism. This is an individual who apparently seemed to be intrigued with explosive devices.''

KCAL9 reported that Wilson has a previous weapons conviction.

The bomb squad was detonating the explosive devices individually. Police said it was unclear when the operation would be completed and people would be allowed back in the evacuated buildings.

The Los Angeles Fire Department established a hotline at 310-253-6890 for displaced residents to get updated information.

For more coverage of this story, visit Culver City Patch.

Marina del Rey Patch: follow us on Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates