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2 suspects surrender after 2 acid bombs explode near Baldwin Park

By Jason Kelly
By Jason Kelly

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A 56-year-old man and a 37-year-old man surrendered at a home near Baldwin Park Tuesday afternoon, hours after a pair of acid bombs were detonated outside the home, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies were called shortly before 9:30 a.m. to a home on Beach Boulevard along the south shore of Lake Susannah after residents reported hearing a loud "boom," Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jane Watrel said.

Deputies notified the bomb squad to check out the suspicious devices, but the people in the home didn't immediately cooperate with deputies' orders, Watrel said.

Investigators said Bruce Steffenhagen came out of his home at about 1:15 p.m. Deputies said Nathan Martin came out of the home, where he once lived, at about 3 p.m.

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"Deputies then learned there were four more people associated with the home, either living there or visiting there," Watrel said. "Two males came out of the home at different points. A couple refused to come out until approximately 5:40 p.m."

Investigators said they released the four people after questioning them.

"After a search warrant was obtained, SWAT members cleared the home for (the bomb squad) to gather evidence," Watrel said. "So far, chemicals and materials used to make the acid bombs were found in the residence."

A Federal Bureau of Investigation bomb technician was also called to the home.

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Martin told investigators Steffenhagen was trying to evict two people from an apartment behind his garage, but they wouldn't open the door, an arrest report said.

The men said they thought making an acid bomb would scare away the residents, and although they knew it would explode, they didn't think it would cause such a big ordeal, the report said.

Steffenhagen and Martin are charged with making, possessing, throwing, projecting, placing or discharging a destructive device. They're each being jailed in lieu of a $15,000 bail.

No one was injured during the incident, which remains under investigation.

Cox Media Group

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