By Meg Peters
Review Co-Editor
After two Orion Township men constructed homemade bottle-bombs in their back yard for entertainment purposes, one found himself with a very badly injured hand at the McLaren Hospital.?
Oakland County deputies arrived to McLaren Hospital and learned the 21-year-old men had created the four homemade compressed air explosive devices from dry ice and water, and that three remained ‘active? in the residents? backyard.
No explosive material, including gun powder or other explosive chemicals, were used to construct the two liter bottle bombs.
‘There was no indication they were doing it maliciously to destroy somebody else’s property. It’s more of a case of ignorance of how dangerous using these compressed air bottle bombs can be,? Oakland County Lieutenant Dan Toth said.
Deputies notified the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the incident will also be reviewed by the Oakland County Prosecutor’s office for possible criminal charges.
According to the ATF website, the ATF protects communities from violent criminals or criminal organizations,’the illegal use and trafficking of firearms, the illegal use and storage of explosives, acts of arson and bombings, acts of terrorism, and the illegal diversion of alcohol and tobacco products.
‘There wasn’t any terrorist angle or intent to harm anyone else,? Toth said. ‘They actually had thrown them outside into the snow and when they didn’t go off he went out and picked one up. Just the act of picking it up created that much more pressure, which set it off.?
Deputies arrived to the scene in the 4800 block of Joslyn Rd. and safely detonated the remaining three bottle-bombs with a shotgun in the yard.
The resident with the injured hand was transported to the University of Michigan Ann Arbor Health System for specialized treatment.
The explosion caused enough damage that hospital officials were unsure if the man would have permanent damage to his hand, and was expected to be hospitalized for a few days.
‘If there’s anything to be taken away from this incident, a lot of young people may see some of these types of things on Youtube and it’s pretty stupid to engage in that kind of activity,? Toth said. ‘You don’t know what the results are, or when that thing is going to explode.’Bottle-bombs have been known to explode in someone’s face, and take out eyes. This is an example of playing with something that you know very little about.?