PHOENIX — A Phoenix man has been accused of leaving an explosive device on a Valley Metro light rail platform last week.
According to court paperwork, Phoenix police were called to the platform near 24th and Jefferson streets around midnight on January 23 for a report of a possible explosive device on the platform. The device was described as sticks of dynamite under a bench.
When officers arrived, they found a bundle of cardboard tubes that were held together with tape. There also appeared to be a green fuse sticking out of the bundles.
The platform was completely evacuated while Valley Metro shut down light rail service westbound at 38th Street, causing a significant disruption to their operations.
The Phoenix police bomb squad was called and they determined it was a potentially hazardous explosive device.
The device was taken off the platform and light rail service resumed almost three hours later.
Court paperwork shows that police used facial recognition software to generate a lead for a possible suspect.
That suspect, 20-year-old Luis Arrano, was taken into custody two days after the incident.
Luis reportedly admitted to police that he took a bundle of fireworks from his backpack and left them on the platform.
He is now facing a felony charge of disorderly conduct with a weapon.
