Authorities discovered and “safely detonated” an explosive device outside a South Salt Lake fast-food restaurant Tuesday afternoon.
According to South Salt Lake police, the Raising Cane’s at 2150 South State Street was evacuated after the initially “unknown device” was found in the restaurant’s drive-thru at about 12:20 p.m.
It’s unclear who discovered the device or reported it to authorities, but investigators soon determined that the device was a working pipe bomb, an official confirmed. The Unified Fire Authority bomb squad then detonated it by about 1:15 p.m. No one was injured.
(South Salt Lake Police via Facebook) The Unified Fire Authority bomb team safely detonated an explosive device that was located at 2150 South State Street on Tuesday afternoon.
The bomb was discovered near the same area where a man was found shot to death Monday evening. Investigators said Tuesday that they do not consider the homicide and the bomb to be connected.
It was unclear as of Tuesday evening if authorities had any leads as to who may have planted the device outside the restaurant. Police said no threats to the area were received.
The area of 2100 South near State Street was briefly shut down to traffic as authorities inspected and later detonated the device at the edge of the restaurant’s parking lot, where the pavement ended and gravel began.
A video that South Salt Lake police posted on Facebook captured the detonation, which authorities conducted using a robot.
The footage shows a small explosion similar to a tiny firecracker as the device was detonated. There were no flames or damage to the area.
By about 2 p.m., customers seeking out lunch at the fast-food restaurant were were unaware that the Raising Cane’s had been closed due to the pipe bomb discovery and subsequent detonation.
Around that time, a group of about 11 Raising Cane’s employees wearing black hats and black-and-red collared shirts declined to comment as they headed back into the building. The restaurant had reopened by about 3 p.m.
(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Authorities investigate the scene after a pipe bomb was discovered outside a restaurant in South Salt Lake, Tuesday, May 10, 2022. The bomb was detonated safely with no injuries.
Creed Anderson, co-owner of nearby ASA Insurance, which is located on the south side of Raising Cane’s, said that a receptionist at his office reported seeing Raising Cane’s employees running out of the restaurant Tuesday afternoon. That’s when he went outside to find out whether his employees and clients were safe.
“We locked all our doors,” he said, and as Unified Fire Authority detonated the bomb, he said, “I did hear the bomb detonate.”
Request for comment from a public relations representative for Raising Cane’s corporate was not immediately returned Tuesday. Authorities continue to investigate.
