L.A. Traffic Cone Bombs Targeted Kids

May 16, 2001 -- Children are believed to be the target of a bomber in Southern California who has been rigging up gasoline bombs inside orange traffic cones.

Three of the cones, which are rigged to be triggered by the removal of a flower placed at the top of the cones, have been found since May 7 — one at an elementary school, one at a junior high school and the third at a library adjoining a preschool, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

"A child is the one most likely to come by, be attracted by the color of the flower … and try to pull it," Lt. Carl Deeley said. "Not only pulling the flower but just kicking the traffic cone or running into it would be enough to set off the explosion."

Deputy Richard Pena said the first booby-trapped cone was discovered at Hillside Elementary School when someone started to move a flower lying on top of it, and noticed the wire. The police were called and the bomb squad defused the device.

When the other two cones were discovered, nearby buildings were evacuated until the bombs could be defused, he said.

Pena declined to go into detail about the bomb mechanism, only saying that in each case the device has contained a 2-liter plastic bottle of gasoline, and could have produced an explosion strong enough to kill people standing nearby.

"It seems like something you hear about on Halloween with poisoned candy, but this is a thousand times worse," Pena said.

No one has claimed responsibility for the devices, but Pena said investigators believe they are all the work of the same person.

The trio of cone-bombs apparently has triggered a copycat, he said. On Tuesday, a traffic cone with a flower on top was discovered in Monterrey Park, but there was no bomb inside.

KABC contributed to this report.