Sudbury police find open liquor, pipe bomb during downtown traffic stop

There were some tense moments in downtown Sudbury on Saturday night after patrol officers found a pipe bomb in the trunk of a vehicle during a traffic stop.

There were some tense moments in downtown Sudbury on Saturday night after patrol officers found a pipe bomb in the trunk of a vehicle during a traffic stop.

The vehicle was pulled over by police just after 8:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the area of Elgin and Elm streets for having "a licence plate that was not authorized," Greater Sudbury Police Service said in a news release Monday afternoon.

The road was closed and area was contained immediately to ensure public safety, and the emergency response and explosive disposal units were called to the scene.

The explosive device was seized and transported to a safe location, police said.

"All three individuals were taken into police custody without incident and transported to GSPS headquarters for further investigation," police said.

The 26-year-old male driver and his 19-year-old girlfriend were both charged with possession of an explosive and failing to comply with a release order.

He is further charged with driving with an open container of liquor and using a plate not authorized for the vehicle.