A potentially dangerous device shut down part of Interstate 5 Sunday morning.
The incident started before 7 a.m. on I-5 South near the Interstate 805 merger in the Del Mar Heights area.
According to San Diego police, officers pulled over a Toyota truck for speeding and arrested the driver, 52-year-old Charles Fouquette, on suspicion of DUI.
After Fouquette was arrested, officers searched the truck and discovered “a suspicious device believed to be an explosive,” police said in a news release. They did not give further details about what the object was.
The California Highway Patrol blocked several lanes of the freeway as the bomb squad disposed of the device, creating a major traffic jam around 9 a.m. Witnesses reported traffic was at a standstill and people were stepping out of their cars.
Crews cleared the scene around 11 a.m., according to the fire department.
In addition to DUI, Fouquette will be charged with possession of a dangerous device, police said.
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The Metro Arson Strike Team is investigating.
Editor’s Note: The San Diego Fire Department initially told NBC 7 the device was harmless. We later learned from the San Diego Police Department that a man had been arrested for possession of a dangerous device. We regret the error and will continue to follow the story.
