Deerfield-News.com-Deerfield Beach, Fl -Police in Lake Wales Florida reporting the explosion of two IED’s, at The Eagle Ridge Mall Lake Wales Deputy Police Chief
Troy Schulze said: “They determined that an IED, or a pipe bomb explosive, had detonated in the corridor.” Lake Wales is about 30 miles east of Tampa, at about 5:30 p.m., a half-hour before the mall was scheduled to close. “It’s very concerning to us,” Schulze said. “We’re a family-oriented community. “People here shopping, just enjoying a Sunday afternoon or evening with their families, and literally ‘boom,'”
There have been no injuries reported.The mall suffered some structural damage in a corridor and a drop ceiling near JC Penney, from the explosions. Lake Wales police responded, with the bomb squad as well as assistance from the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office. Police also discovered during a search Schulze reports a “backpack or book bag that contained five or six other IEDs that were not detonated,” adding that those devices were “safely removed.” Schulze said multiple witnesses told police about a middle-aged man — with a “heavy/stocky build, wearing a grey shirt and grey hat” — seen running from the area.
Lake Wales Police and the Sheriff have set up a perimeter and are still searching for the suspect.
Lake Wales PD has notified the FBI.
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