BIXBY, Okla. — UPDATE 5/2/2022 1:00 p.m.: According to the Department of Justice, the driver that led police on a chase and was in possession of the homemade explosive told investigators the device belonged to 24-year-old Joe Allen Forest and that he had dropped him off earlier. Forest was eventually located and taken into custody. Forest is charged in federal court for unlawful manufacture of a destructive device.
A live bomb found in a car after a high-speed chase in Bixby is now part of a federal investigation.
It’s the last thing Bixby police were expecting to find inside this car they were involved in pursuit with down Memorial Road.
“I would say definitely shock. And then making sure the scene and area is safe and nobody’s coming in this area in case the device goes off,” said Officer Seth Adcock.
Reaching speeds of 138 miles an hour, the chase ended in the employee parking at the Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Once Bixby police saw the device, the OHP Bomb Squad and ATF were called. The ATF says it was a homemade explosive that had an explosive powder.
“It was manipulated. There was explosive powder and filler, and it were to detonate, it could cause fragmentation of the housing, injure, maim, or potentially kill someone,” said ATF Agent Ashley Stephens.
Fortunately, the device was deactivated. The ATF says the pieces from the device will be investigated to figure out what was used and why someone would make it in the first place.
“We don’t believe there was any intention to harm anybody with it, but we’re just not sure on specifics yet,” said Stephens.
FOX23 has reported on a few bomb findings in recent months. Like one in Broken Arrow in January. An explosive was found in a car after being pulled over near Kenosha and 209 E. Avenue. Stephens says they don’t think any of the cases are related, however all the homemade bombs have been similar.
“We tend to see an uptick in these types of cases the closer we get to summer and to the Fourth of July,” said Stephens.
The ATF says Bixby police knew exactly what to do to keep things from getting out of hand.
“Their quick thinking, their actions, we always want to make sure we praise those guys. They didn’t create another hazard, they didn’t put anybody else in danger, they did an excellent job,” said Stephens.