A member of a freeway cleanup crew found a live pipe bomb Thursday alongside Interstate 15 in the Miramar area.
The Caltrans worker made the discovery on an embankment next to the Miramar Road connector to the southbound side of the freeway at about 11:15 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
Authorities shut down the on-ramp, cleared people out of the immediate area and notified San Diego Fire-Rescue, which sent in the bomb squad, CHP public-affairs Officer Jesse Matias said.
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The ordnance-handling personnel determined that the seemingly homemade device — made out of a rusty, roughly 10-inch-long metal cylinder — contained explosive material, and they safely detonated it at the scene, Matias said.
It was unclear how long the makeshift bomb, which was not readily visible from the freeway, had been in the area or who had left it there.
