Bomb squad detonates hoax device found under car in Inglewood

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (KABC) -- Bomb squad officials say a device found attached to a parked car near an Inglewood elementary school had no live material, and the incident appears to be a hoax. The bomb scare prompted the hours-long evacuation of an entire block.

Residents in the 700 block of W. Beach Avenue were under an evacuation order as Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bomb technicians set up a robot to try and extricate and detonate what they initially said was an IED found underneath a parked 2004 Nissan vehicle near Highland Elementary School.

The incident began at about 9:30 p.m. Sunday, when Inglewood police were flagged down by a woman who noticed wires dangling from the trunk of the car. Those wires were connected to a package.

A detonation was performed shortly after 4:30 a.m. and again at 6:10 a.m.

The responding bomb squad had initially determined the suspicious device was an active explosive but after the detonations said "no live material" was found. The squad also told Inglewood police that the incident appears to have been a set up to look real.

An investigation into the incident is ongoing.

Anyone with more information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Arson Explosives Detail at (323)881-7500.