SEATTLE – I-90 lanes heading westbound have reopened on Mercer Island Saturday afternoon after police saw two men throwing explosive devices out of their car windows.
Eastbound and westbound lanes were previously shut down to all drivers, leading to a massive, three-hour traffic backup for drivers in the Mercer Island area.
I-90 closure on Mercer Island (WSDOT)
Just after 12:30 p.m. on October 12, police out of Bellevue shut down all traffic in both directions of I-90 just east of Island Crest Way.
This allowed them to locate and detonate two explosive devices thrown out of a vehicle. Another object thrown was described by police as a type of firework.
EXPLOSIVE DEVICES SAFELY DETONATED
Bellevue PD saying the bomb squad safely disarmed 2 of the 3 devices found. The 3rd was described as an elongated firework.
Below is a picture of the explosive device. Police telling @fox13seattle the suspect attempted to light and throw it… pic.twitter.com/XWfJC9kzuO
— Dave Detling (@DetlingFOX13) October 13, 2024
UPDATE |🚨WB I-90 CLOSED ON MERCER ISLAND
EB I-90 on Mercer Island has reopened.
WB I-90 remains closed. Continue to seek alternate routes. https://t.co/mBw5qPnWKd— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) October 12, 2024
Mercer Island police announced an increased law enforcement presence after seeing explosive devices thrown out of a car.
A bomb squad arrived as authorities put two suspects in custody, according to Trooper Rick Johnson. During this time, long traffic backups impacts drivers in the Seattle, Bellevue, and Mercer Island.
I-90 traffic backup on Mercer Island
The incident began when Bellevue Police attempted to perform a traffic stop and the suspect vehicle fled. Washington State police were then called in to assist. During the chase, WSP say something was thrown from the vehicle that could have been an explosive device.
This is when traffic was completely halted in the area. For westbound travel, traffic reopened just after 3 p.m., and eastbound lanes from 76th Street reopened just before 2 p.m.
Police say there is no ongoing threat to the public.
(Left) image showing one of the explosive devices thrown from a car on I-90 Saturday. The scene of the empty stretch of highway during the bomb squad investigation seen in the background.
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