Apparent pipe bombs in Carencro; 8 homes evacuated

CARENCRO (AP)  — Eight houses in Carencro were evacuated and a man was arrested Wednesday after a detective saw what appeared to be two pipe bombs in a pickup truck he had stopped as part of a drug investigation, the Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

The state police hazardous materials unit was dealing with the suspected bombs, but the houses remained evacuated and several streets blocked off hours after the 2 p.m. stop, said Capt. Kip Judice, spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

“We’re trying to render the devices safe,” he said.

He said the detective stopped the single-cab pickup truck after it left a house that neighbors had complained was the site of apparent drug activity, and saw the devices in the passenger area.

He did not know whether they were metal or plastic pipes.

The man, described as white and in his 20s, had not yet been booked, said Judice.

He said the man was alone in the truck, but detectives are looking for another man as part of the drug investigation.