Neighbors of a home in southeast Nashville were asked to evacuate early this morning as police investigated a possible bomb that was later determined to be an inactive or hoax device.
The Metro Nashville Police Department’s bomb squad was deployed to 521 Glenpark Drive after finding what they thought could be an explosive in a cooler left next to the house. Raul Ramos, a 52-year-old Greenbrier man, was charged with criminal trespass and possession of a purported explosive device. He’s being held on $80,000 bond.
More: Read the police report
The investigation came just six days after an Antioch man blew up himself and an RV on Second Avenue in downtown Nashville. Police have said they believe the bomber worked alone, and there is not a threat to the general public.
Police believe that last night’s scare was prompted by a dispute between Ramos and his estranged wife, who was at the home.
Officers initially arrived on the scene near the intersection of Briley Parkway and Murfreesboro Road shortly after 1:30, where they say they found Ramos being confronted in the street by the home’s residents. They claimed to have seen Ramos carrying several large, metal, air canisters, which he placed next to the cooler. Officers looked inside the cooler and found a brown substance, white tablets packed in plastic bags and wires.
The Hazardous Devices Unit was called to the scene. After taking X-rays and deploying a robot, the unit determined that the device was either a hoax or had not been completely set up to detonate.
Ramos told police he had nothing to do with the device. He was nonetheless arrested and booked at the Davidson County Jail.
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