Two men in possession of a pipe bomb were arrested in St. Paul early Saturday, according to police.
The bomb was found inside the men's vehicle following reports of an alleged assault, and the city's bomb squad confirmed it was an explosive device, according to a police report. Police evacuated homes near Lake Phalen while the squad recovered it.
No one was harmed, police spokesman Steve Linders said.
Police received a call that a man threatened to shoot a woman at a SuperAmerica gas station at 7th Street E. and Johnson Parkway just before 5 a.m., according to the police report. The suspects had escaped in a vehicle by the time officers arrived.
Shortly afterward, officers found and stopped the vehicle near the intersection of Maryland Avenue and Lake Place. They found a pipe bomb inside the trunk, Linders said.
Police closed access to the area and evacuated homes near the car. The bomb squad was called to pick up the device.
Officers arrested a 37-year-old man from Roseville and a 40-year-old man from St. Louis, Mo., who were inside the vehicle, according to the report. They were each booked on suspicion of possession of an explosive device and a stolen firearm.
The 37-year-old suspect had several prior convictions on traffic violations, court records show. The Star Tribune usually does not name suspects before they are charged.
Linders said St. Paul police have found suspected pipe bombs in the past, although it's "very rare."
"In the scheme of things … a minute percentage of [police calls] involve suspected car bombs," he said.
