Police: Homemade explosive device found in vacant lot in LaGrange

LAGRANGE, Ga. - Police are searching for a suspect who planted a homemade explosive device in a vacant lot in LaGrange, Georgia.

Officials with the LaGrange Police Department say they were called to the lot on the 500 block of Whitesville Road around 9:15 a.m. Thursday.

According to police, a citizen who was cleaning the lot found a suspicious item and promptly called law enforcement. When they got to the scene, officers realized the item was a "homemade" or "improvised" explosive device.

Police called the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Bomb Disposal Unit, who were able to defuse and dismantle the device safely at the location.

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Investigators say the device was not found near any homes or vehicles, and was not in an area heavily traveled by pedestrians.

Officers are now working to identify who placed the device in the lot.

If you have any information about the explosive or saw any suspicious behavior around the lot, please call the LaGrange Police or Troup County Crime Stoppers.

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