A father and son were arrested after allegedly making an explosive device and lighting it on the city's near west side.
The incident happened just after 9 p.m. on Dec. 20. Police were called to an explosion in the 3600 block of East 16th Street, west of Tibbs Avenue and east of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). When they arrived, they found a post-blast crater in the dirt under the 16th Street bridge.
Speedway police officers detained three people who were walking on the bridge for questioning.
Court documents show a woman who is not facing charges told police she, 21-year-old Isak Turner and 56-year-old Wayne Turner were out celebrating Wayne's birthday that night. Wayne is Isak's father.
The woman told police in a statement Wayne constructed an "explosive device," which was described as a cardboard tube about two inches in diameter and six inches long. She saw him pour in "a mixture of what he stated was a 70/30 mixture of potassium perchlorate and aluminum powder" before closing the tube and placing a fuse, according to court documents.
All three of them then left together and parked just south of 16th Street. They walked to the bridge, where Wayne allegedly took out the device and had Isak light it. After lighting it, the woman said Isak tossed it onto the ground, where it exploded. No injuries were reported, but a car was damaged and the lights under the overpass were broken.
The woman also told police there was additional powder and bomb-making materials inside Wayne's apartment.
When interviewed by police, court documents show Isak confirmed the woman's account of the incident.
A search warrant was carried out at Wayne's apartment, where the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) collected components and evidence.
Formal charges haven't been filed yet, but court documents indicate prosecutors are looking at charges for manufacturing an explosive device, possession of a destructive device and criminal mischief.